


The Merchant Princess

by althus



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/F, Fingerfucking, Masturbation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-03-17 02:05:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13649178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/althus/pseuds/althus
Summary: Medieval AU: Lex's failed coup sends Lena fleeing Venice to a new city where she attempts to rebuild the Luthor spice trading empire. It's here that Lena meets Kara the seamstress and doesn't mind if Kara gets a little handsy when taking her measurements.Rated M for sexual content and mild violence.





	1. Chapter 1

A pair of hands grabbed onto Lena's shoulders and shook her awake. For a few seconds, she grasped out into the darkness of her bedroom until she recognized the voice of her attendant Jess.

"Lena! Lex has launched a coup against the Doge," Jess yelled. "He's attacking the palace right now."

Lena snapped her eyes shut and opened them again wondering if this would wake her from the dream. "What are you talking about?" she groaned.

Jess had already left her side to light the oil lamps around the bedroom. The drowsiness in Lena's bones told her it was the middle of the night, but a red glow emanated from her window and church bells rung in the distance. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she could see an outline of flames across the rooftops of Venice.

Lena sat up so quick the blood rushed to her head and added to the disorientation. She ran down the darkened hallways of the Luthor mansion calling out Lex's name without hearing a response. She flung open his bedroom door to find it empty. She threw the covers off the bed just to be sure. Lena next dashed to her mother's room never so hopeful to hear her mother's voice even if only for a put down about acting so unladylike at this time of night. Lillian's room had also been evacuated. None of the servants or hired swords of the security detail had appeared to investigate Lena's racket.

Staring at her mother's unoccupied room, Lena's fingers latched onto the door frame to ground herself against the nightmare scenario that her family had initiated a war and left her in the dark. If Lex's revolt succeeded, the Luthors stood to gain the greatest fleet in Christendom and a controlling interest in the all-important spice trade. If he lost, she could expect a mob of citizens to ransack the estate in retaliation and display her body from the city gates alongside the rest of her family.

Lena wasn't going to wait for the conclusion to come to her. She paced into Lillian's bedroom toward her mother's desk. She opened the top drawer and popped out a secret panel she had discovered years ago as a snooping teenager. Inside she found the leather bound general ledger for the Luthor spice empire, including client and supplier lists.

A hand grasped Lena's shoulder almost startling her into throwing the ledger into the air. It was Jess again, this time carrying a basic change of clothes and a woolen travelling cloak. Lena could kiss her attendant. After shoving her bare feet into a pair of leather boots and tossing the dress over her linen nightgown, Lena ran back to her bedroom for one last item. Hidden underneath her mattress was a glass flask of what looked to the unsophisticated eye to be strips of red confetti. Lena tucked the flask into her boot and escaped out the door into the streets of Venice with Jess.

They didn't have the time to row their way through the canals, so they sprinted across bridges and between alleyways. The scent of smoke inundated the air. In the distance, Lena thought she heard clashes of metal and the death cries of men. The church bells continued their incessant clanging. Gaggles of civilians gathered onto the public squares and plazas to discuss what was happening to their fair city. They ran past half-dressed groups of soldiers marching double time the opposite way towards the fighting. The two women pulled the hoods of their cloaks tight over their heads. Sweat enveloped Lena's body which induced shivers in the nighttime air and caused her nightgown to cling to her skin. A stitch stung at her side.

They finally reached the great port of Venice where every month literally tons of peppercorn, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, star anise, cardamom, cumin seeds, and other spices arrived from the Near East to be repacked for shipment all across Europe. The aroma was like no other dock in the world. A Luthor ship had arrived from Alexandria earlier that night carrying mainly peppercorns.

Lena huffed up the gangplank to the trading galley and made her way to the captain's quarters. She found him dozing in his bunk nestling an empty bottle of wine. The rest of the crew would be found reveling across the city's scattered brothels and taverns after completing their long journey back home. Jess secured a bucket of cold seawater to splash across the man's face.

"We need to get this ship ready to sail as soon as possible unless you want your head in a noose," Lena barked. She pulled out navigational charts to plot a course out of the harbor in the darkness. Jess disembarked to hunt for the shantytowns of the dockside urchins. Even a metropolis as wealthy as Venice had its population of barefooted orphans surviving off the bread and thin soups of the alms houses. Jess had scavenged a small fortune in gold from the Luthor estate and passed out the coins by the fistful to any boy or girl who would bring the Luthor employed sailors back to the ship or carry news of the coup's outcome.

All Lena and Jess could do then was wait on the galley to either flee or rule. Finally having a chance to catch her breath, the reality of Lena's situation sank in and left her buckling under its weight. She saw herself dangling on the cusp of abandoning late nights spent batting around business plans with her brother while the rest of house slept, thumbing through the family library which had been assembled over decades, or standing in the middle of the Luthor warehouse as crates swirled around her from east to west. She wasn't sure what her life would be like without her home in Venice. Jess offered her hand and Lena took hold of it.

The crew staggered back to the ship in piecemeal fashion. Hearing of the situation, some of the sailors raced back home to bring their families along for the potential escape. Lena didn't have the heart to turn them away. Someone started passing around a wine-skin from which Lena took multiple gulps on her empty stomach. She stared up into the stars trying to foretell her fate.

A great cry rose up from the palace, which was echoed by the citizenry as news rippled throughout the city. Lena knew the result before an orphan girl with a dirty plait ran up to the ship to inform Jess. The Luthors were not so well loved that the people would shout for joy at their victory. Lex had led the worst type of coup, which was a failed one.

"Prepare to set sail!" she yelled out to the sobering sailors. Jess paid the orphan girl a bonus and gave Lena a deep hug as if it were the last time they would see each other, which Lena realized it might be. Pulling back from the embrace, Lena said, "You can't stay behind. They'll charge you with treason."

"I'll have to take my chances," Jess replied with tears brimming in her eyes. "My entire family is here in Venice. I'd want nothing more than to sail away with you, but I can't leave them behind."

"You should have told me. There's still room on the ship. We could have worked something out. I can't do this without you," Lena pleaded.

"My grandfather wouldn't have survived the journey. He's bedridden half the time and doesn't always know where he is. It was enough that I could get you out of the city and sit with you one last time. Promise you'll write to me when you're settled and safe."

Lena reached for the flask hidden in her boot. She tried to push the glass container into Jess's hands. "Here, take this for all you've done," she offered.

Jess demurred and handed over the sizable remains of the gold stash from the mansion. "I'll get by, I always have. You'll need it more than I will."

The two women hugged one last time. Jess hopped off the ship, and Lena followed her form until it disappeared from sight. The crew undid the last of the moorings and unfurled the sails. Oarsmen propelled the vessel at least until it was out of the marina. Venice receded from view leaving Lena with the clothes on her back and a ship loaded with a fortune in spices.

 

 

 

They sailed south down the Adriatic Sea for the city of Ancona, which operated as a merchant republic like Venice. Whereas Venice acted as the big bully of the spice trade, Ancona was more notable for juggling the competing attentions of the Holy Roman Emperor to the north, the Pope in Rome to the west, and the Empire of the Greeks across the Adriatic to the east than for its trading prowess.

The ship, however, first needed to resupply their water and food stores in Ravenna. Lena thought they could have endured, but the sailors might have turned mutinous at the sight of their wives and children thirsting and starving. Lena hid in the captain's cabin as they hauled the provisions aboard wondering if one of the crew or passengers would turn her in. She had no escape route aside from sprouting wings and flying off the ship. Even if Venice hadn't yet announced a bounty for her head, everyone would have expected a hefty reward for hauling her back.

To keep her mind distracted, Lena grabbed pen and paper to plan out her next steps. Her (it felt odd to say _her_ when it had been _ours_ for her entire life) inventory sat in Venice and had probably already been confiscated by the city guard to pay restitution to the Republic. Her merchant fleet with their bellies full of cargo was scattered across the Mediterranean. She was heading for a new city where she had few contacts, which were the lifeblood of her business. Working through the developing headache, Lena jotted out a day by day plan for the next few weeks searching for any possibility of a return to Venice. All the viable routes started with a meeting with Cat Grant. She heard shouts that the anchor had been hoisted back into the ship and that they were ready to depart. Lena released a sigh as she lived to see another day.

 

 

 

Lena knew of Cat Grant only by reputation. She supposedly operated out of a dress shop hidden in the main plaza of Ancona which masked her true occupation as an information broker trading rumors and secrets. Lena needed such an ally to disseminate information across her trading network, though Lena accounted for the chance that she would become the product rather than the client. Lena bet her business acumen that she could persuade Cat to her side before the woman turned her over to Venice.

She left her ship anchored in Ancona's harbor hoping it would still be there when she returned. She followed the sloping roads of the city until she arrived at the plaza at the city center. Strolling along the outer rim, Lena paused at a windowless storefront without a placard, after almost passing it. She heaved open the door and entered into a long room with bolts of silks from the Far East and Egyptian cotton hanging from the rafters in a variety of colors. Mannequins displayed dresses in various stages of completion. An attendant with blonde hair flowing past her shoulders sat behind a counter looking over some sort of ledger. Upon hearing the door chime, she perked up and said, "Good afternoon. How may I help you?"

"Is this Cat Grant's establishment? I’d like to see her on a personal matter. I don't have an appointment but I have been referred by some friends if she would like references," Lena bluffed.

"I'm sorry but Ms. Grant is out at the moment, and I'm not sure if she'll be back today. I can pass along a message to her if you like," the assistant replied.

Lena let out a sigh for both successfully uncovering the information broker's location and also missing the woman. "That's alright, I can wait around in case she returns. In the meantime, I would like to be measured for a dress; multiple dresses actually, as I need to replace my entire wardrobe." Lena reasoned that the dress shop may have been a cover for more clandestine activities but doubted anyone would have displayed that much quality fabric without operating an actual shop.

The assistant jumped to her feet. "Of course, if you'll follow me I can get your measurements and then we can discuss fabric and design. I'm Kara, by the way."

"Lena," the spice trader offered. Lena spied seamstresses at work in the back of the shop as she followed Kara into a smaller room enclosed behind a heavy curtain. "You'll have to excuse the state of my undergarments. It's a long story, but I had to rush out the door, so I don't have all my usual layers on."

Kara began undoing the straps at the back of Lena's dress. "There's no need to be embarrassed. I work in a dress shop, so I see women in their undergarments all the time." 

Kara undid the top of the dress to reveal the linen nightgown Lena had escaped Venice in. Neither Jess nor Lena had grabbed an undergown or chemise in their escape from the mansion. Kara moved to Lena's front and let out an audible "Oh" at the sight of Lena's breasts outlined against the fabric. Kara blushed red and almost dropped her measuring tape.

A muffled laugh escaped Kara's mouth. Lena reared her head back in offense until she saw the panic in Kara's eyes and heard the stream of apologies gushing out from the other woman. Lena began laughing, as well. Imagining Kara observing Lena barefoot in her pajamas was the first bit of levity Lena could enjoy in the past few days. Lena assured Kara no offense was taken and that Kara had caught Lena on the occasion in her life she had left the house dressed like this.

Kara began measuring Lena. She started at the arms and then the legs before moving onto the hips and the waist. At each stage, Kara jotted down numbers on a scrap of paper with a piece of chalk. Either inadvertently or intentionally she had left the bust for last. Kara stood in front of Lena and pressed her warm hands against Lena's sides to flatten the measuring tape against the underbust. The action only further highlighted the profile of Lena's breasts against the nightgown.

Lena burst out laughing again as she brought her hand to her mouth.

"What is it?" Kara asked as she relaxed the measuring tape. "Are you ticklish?"

"I'm sorry. The situation's just so absurd I needed another laugh. Could I trouble you for a glass of water?" Lena said as she reigned in her reaction.

Kara chuckled and flashed a smile before leaving the room to grab a drink for both of them. They finished the measurements and got Lena back into her dress. Kara brought her to a drafting table where she began sketching out designs with paper and charcoal. Lena noted Kara had marvelous hands, though somewhat calloused for someone in her profession. As the two women discussed color schemes, another clerk came by to whisper something into Kara's ear.

"Ms. Grant will see you now. We can finish up these plans afterward," Kara announced as she tidied up the papers. Kara escorted Lena to an office nestled into the side of the shop. Cat Grant was already sitting behind her desk. As Lena hadn't seen the woman walk into the shop, she wondered whether there was another entryway or if Cat had simply kept her waiting.

The information broker gestured Lena toward a seat as Kara stood at attention. Cat looked Lena over. "To quote the Empress Theodora, 'Those who have worn the crown should never survive its loss. Never will I see the day when I am not saluted as Empress.'" 

Lena screwed on a practiced smile at the allusion to the Emperor Justinian contemplating abandoning the capital in the wake of the Nika riots against him. The time Lena spent re-supplying her ship in Ravenna may have costed her the chance to be the first to make her case to Cat. "Your information network is as expansive and as quick as they say, though I wonder if it's missing one crucial detail. I wasn't involved with my brother's plans. I found out about his intentions along with everyone else in Venice, and I'm only trying to survive the fallout."

"And your longer-term plans?" Cat inquired.

Lena had recited her pitch under her breath while staring at the open ocean on the voyage over. "Nothing less than the restoration of my trading business and a triumphant return to Venice with my crew and their families once these false accusations of treason are cleared up. The Luthors are the best spice merchants from the Holy Land to Constantinople to Venice to Iberia. I intend to carry on that legacy."

" _Were_ the best traders," Cat noted. "I hear your trading empire is down to one vessel and one Luthor. The world moves fast these days."

"Due to the poor decision making of my brother," Lena admitted. "but, as I said, I had no part in his schemes. I do hold the ledger for all our suppliers in the East and client lists of the biggest spice consumers in the West. My fleet is largely intact and carrying a fortune in spices on its way to the Adriatic. With my connections and the ships, I can restart the trade."

"Kiera, fetch us something to drink," the information broker ordered. Kara scurried off and returned with a carafe of red wine. She poured out glasses for the two women. Cat sipped at the drink. "I assume I have some role to play in all this."

"We're both businesswomen. I'm sure you understand the importance of earning and maintaining the clients' trust. The spice trade is about more than physically sourcing and transporting the product. Clients come to me for large purchases because the Luthors have earned a reputation for quality spices. People return as customers because I never turn down an order even when I don't have the inventory sitting in my warehouse. I know I can reliably source the product directly from Alexandria or from another spice merchant. Those people sell to me because I honor my debts. If there's a breakdown in trust along the way, I risk irreparably damaging my business.

"To maintain that trust, I require a partnership with someone with a far-ranging messenger system to assure my clients that I remain in business. My in-transit fleets will need to be rerouted from Venice to Ancona for the time being. While I reside in Ancona, I need introductions to the local government so that I can conduct my affairs without hassle and pay the proper bribes to prevent my premature extradition to Venice."

"Taxes. We call them taxes here in Ancona. Makes it more respectable," Cat said. She looked at Lena, who was bedraggled from nearly three days at sea and a lack of sleep. "What do I get out of this if I vouch for you and offer my messengers? Full transparency into your clients and suppliers?"

Lena smirked. "No. The spice trade runs on a tightly controlled supply, and if I offered up my trade secrets to outsiders, then Venice will really want me dead."

She retrieved the glass flask from her boot and placed it on Cat's desk. Kara leaned forward for a closer look. "Saffron," Lena announced of the bright red contents. "Each of these red strips is a flower pistil. They only grow two to a flower. Farmers cultivated hundreds of thousands of flowers to produce the contents you see here, which explains why saffron is worth its weight in gold. I can't tell you where I source this very finest grade saffron or any of my other spices, but I can offer a 1/8th cut of all my trading profits as long as we're in business together."

Cat snorted. Lena's eyes widened in panic. Should she have offered a larger share? Any additional profit sharing risked crippling the viability of her trading company, especially as she tried to restore order while enduring exile.

"Requesting my help in such a mercantile manner is just so gauche," Cat sneered. She sipped at her wine letting the statement hang in the air. "You may speak about trust, but in my experience a relationship built entirely on gold makes for weak bonds. I deal in favors between genteel friends. You're lucky that I think you'll be a potentially useful friend to have in the future."

She set the glass of wine down on her desk. "You'll do me the favor of sitting with Kiera here for interviews on your insights into Venetian politics and scandals. We'll leave the trade secrets off limits. I will speak to Ancona's city elders on your behalf and put you in contact with the people you need to know. We'll start with the harbormaster. He likes swords but don't get him anything too ceremonial. He needs something sharp at his side to scare off the ruffians. Kiera will take care of your day to day concerns and will report your progress to me. I hope you know enough not to ask me for any promises in writing."

Lena licked her lips and nodded to the proposal as it was the only option she had. Kara refilled their glasses, and the two moguls toasted to their new relationship.

 

 

 

Lena plopped down onto the straw mattress of her rented room. It sat above a tavern as that was all Lena could find on short notice. For the first time in days the stress from her shoulders loosened. Feeling too tired to even fall asleep and with a throbbing behind her eyes, Lena stared at the ceiling.

She felt a twinge between her legs. She checked to see that the door was locked and barred it with a chair just in case. She slipped off her dress and sent the nightgown following after it. Her bare skin tingled in the open air feeling like it could breathe again. Lena did her best to massage out the tension in her neck. She'd say it had built up from the pressures of the past few days, but she'd been carrying it for as long as she remembered. 

She thought back to Cat's assistant with her blonde tresses and blue eyes. An image of shapely hips, perky breasts, and wholesome smile sent one of Lena's palms down towards her breast. The other hand circled around the skin of her abdomen before moving past her curls to the inkling of wetness between her legs. The scent of her arousal snaked its way to her nostrils.

Lena recalled Kara taking in her half naked form earlier at the dress shop. She imagined the woman massaging Lena's breasts through the night gown and tracing her tongue across the outline of a nipple. Lena thought of tangling her fingers in the other woman's hair before pulling her up for a rough kiss. 

Her fingers pressed against and stroked her inner flesh until she found her rhythm. She canted her hips forward in search of a better angle. Lena's skin flushed from her forehead down to her chest. She bit her cheek to stifle her moans.

In her mind's eye, the blonde was bent over Lena's desk back in Venice with her rear up in the air for Lena's appraisal. Lena slid a finger inside the fantasy as the woman begged Lena for more. The heat gathered in Lena's lower stomach reached a crescendo and uncoiled in toe curling release. Her shoulders slumped and her breaths came out in jagged exhales as Lena descended from the high. She wiped her slick fingers onto the curve of her hips and focused on the relaxed state of her body rather than the work that lay ahead of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may better know the Empire of the Greeks as the Byzantine Empire, which only gained the latter moniker from historians long after its collapse in 1453. The citizens referred to their country as the Roman Empire as they were essentially a continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire after the western half's fall. Contemporary outsiders sometimes referred to them as the Greeks as a challenge to their status as Rome's heir (see the contemporary Holy Roman Empire). This concludes the one piece of historical authenticity in this fic. Be prepared for anachronism stew everywhere else. 
> 
> Also, apparently there is a fantasy novel series called The Merchant Princess, to which this story is unaffiliated.


	2. Chapter 2

On Cat's advice to find a blade for the harbormaster, Lena ventured down to the armor district the next morning. In Venice she was accustomed to providing gifts as a way to make her life easier. Lillian had dragged Lena to Mass every Sunday growing up, if only for appearances' sake. When Lena feigned sick, Lillian always mentioned that the other society ladies had noted her absence when speaking to Lillian after the service. When Lena appeared at Mass the following week, the same ladies would ask after her health and assured her they would pray for her recovery.

After Lena began apprenticing in the family's trading house, she set aside a portion of her newfound wealth towards commissioning artwork for the Church ranging from frescoes to processional crosses to marbles statues and even a set of bronze doors once. If Lillian could boast about her daughter's latest donation, then she tolerated Lena only making an appearance in church on feast days. The Church ultimately took possession of the commissions, but Lena liked the thought of bringing more art into the world even if the artisans crafted the pieces and she only contributed the gold.

She encountered few pedestrians on her morning walk and found no blacksmiths actually at work. Few cities had matched the Venetian pace of life in her travel experience, but for a moment Lena was astounded at the one-horse town she had found herself in. It was the ringing of church bells that reminded her that today was the Sabbath, and the blacksmiths along with everyone else were either resting at home or at service. The hectic journey and her own lengthy sabbaticals from church had thrown off Lena's internal calendar. Pursing her lips at losing a day in her plan, Lena made to return to her rented room when she heard the thundering of an anvil. At least there was one smith who didn't pay the Commandments much mind.

Lena followed the noise to a forge. Soot covered the smith's face but feminine features shone through. The sleeves of her tunic had been rolled up and her long blond hair was pulled back into a braid. Lena stared at the rippling muscles on the woman's arms as she hammered away at a burning red hunk of iron. Each strike of the hammer sent sparks flying. Sweat dripped from the smith's brow, and Lena cheeks began to fluster as well.

The smith noticed Lena and set the piece of metal aside to cool. "Ms. Luthor, what are you doing here?"

Lena did a double take. She didn't think she knew anyone in Ancona, and certainly not a female blacksmith.

Noting the obvious confusion on Lena's face, the woman stammered, "I'm Kara. We met yesterday at Ms. Grant's shop. It's fine if you don't remember me. You must have a lot on your mind."

"Kara, right! Of course," Lena exclaimed. Her eyes widened in panic at bumping into the object of her lust from last night. Hadn't Cat said Kara would be interviewing her soon too? "The soot on your cheeks and the braid threw me off, and I thought you introduced yourself as Kara, but Cat kept saying Kiera so I figured I misheard the first time."

Kara rubbed off what she could of the grime with her fingers. "That is what Ms. Grant calls me," she said before trailing off. "Anyways, what are you doing here?" 

"I could ask you the same thing," Lena said. "I don't know many seamstresses who moonlight as blacksmiths."

Kara took a drink from a canteen; Lena watched as a droplet of water spilled past the corner of the other woman's mouth. "I do it to earn a little extra money on the side, and Sunday is the only time I can borrow a forge. I mostly make nails and horseshoes, but I dabble in blades some times."

"That's a lucky coincidence because I'm in the market for a sword. Do you mind if I take a look at what you have?"

"I assume this is for the harbormaster? I don't know if there's anything suitable for a lady of your stature but please," Kara answered. She unrolled a woolen blanket onto her workbench to showcase a handful of blades. As Lena inspected the wares, she noticed out of the corner of her eye Kara attempting again to wipe the soot from her cheeks. Lena smiled at the sight as she picked up one of the swords. It was of medium length and tapered width, intended to be swung with one hand. She'd spent enough time around Lex harping about the vagaries of dueling to intuit the balance and lightness of the blade. The crossguard and pommel were unadorned, and if Lena had the time she might have had them inlaid with gold and precious stones before gifting it, but she loathed to surrender even a day more of her schedule.

"I'll take it," Lena announced.

Kara almost didn't seem to catch Lena's words at first. "Uh, that will be 12 ducats." 

Lena fished the coins from her purse. "I was thinking you would negotiate me down," Kara said as she took the payment into her hands.

"I can pay you less if you'd like," Lena said with a smirk.

"No, that's quite alright," Kara replied though she laughed along with the joke.

Lena strapped the purchase to her side. "There are easier ways to earn money. I've known quite a few girls who make lace or run a market stall. Why blacksmithing exactly?"

Kara crossed an arm over her chest. "I never had the patience for making lace, but I developed some strength growing up on a farm. My sister left to become a traveling apothecary, so when I moved to the city I thought about doing something unorthodox too. Why spice trading? I've heard of merchant princes but never of a merchant princess."

"It's the family business, and my father wanted both my brother and I to follow in his footsteps. I imagine he got into it because of how much money there was to be made," Lena said with a chuckle. "He used to tell us stories about how when the Visigoths sacked Rome centuries ago, their ransom demand for the eternal city included 3,000 pounds of pepper. Back then the Empire controlled both sides of the Sinai Peninsula and their ships traded directly with spice traders in India. Now the trade is split with the Arabs controlling the overland and Red Sea routes while Venetians dominate the Mediterranean side. With such a controlled supply and so many middlemen, that's why a pound of pepper costs about a week's wage. Of course, pepper has many uses. There's the medicinal side of increasing circulation, warding off miasma, and even rumors of its aphrodisiac qualities. It's invaluable for flavoring food. Finally, there's also the prestige factor of spending freely on such luxuries so no matter the cost the spice must flow.

"You should come over for dinner when I've had a chance to rent a home with a kitchen. I can't cook, but I imagine I'll hire someone who's experienced with spices," Lena proposed.

"I might just take you up on your offer, but where are you living now?" Kara asked.

"I'm renting a room at the Siren tavern down by the waterfront," Lena said.

"That's not a safe place for a lady! Someone was stabbed there two weeks ago, and the city watch never caught the attacker. That's also where all the sailors go to drink before meeting up with ladies of negotiable virtue," Kara said lowering her voice to a stage whisper even though they stood alone in the street.

"It's only temporary until I find the time to secure another place, and it's convenient to where my ship is anchored. I've been working through all the other priorities on my list first," Lena answered.

"Your safety comes first, Lena. You're spending the night with me," Kara declared. "I have a room in a much safer neighborhood. It's located above a bakery, and the shopkeeper gives me a discount on the rent for keeping an eye on the shop at night. You'll wake up to the smell of fresh baked bread. It's amazing."

"I couldn't impose."

"It's the least I can do after your purchase. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you. I remember arriving in Ancona and being on my own for the first time. I don't know what I would have done if Cat hadn't taken a liking to me. I want to do the same for you."

Lena bit her lip. She thought about not having to stuff all her valuables under her pillow to guard against thieves in the night. "Okay, but just for one night. I won't impose on your hospitality any further," she said.

"We'll see about that," Kara answered with a self-satisfied grin.

 

 

 

Lena dropped off the sword with the thankful harbormaster at his home and checked in on her crew and their families. By the time she rented warehouse space and a trading office for the next month, the sun was already dipping low into the horizon. Lena trudged with aching feet toward Kara's home and thanked Jess wherever she was for grabbing her boots that fateful night. She longed for the gondolas that carried her everywhere back in Venice.

Lena stepped into the bakery, which consisted of a wood fired oven in the back and an unadorned counter dividing the customers from the shelves of breads on the wall. Kara had her arms on full display again as she rolled some dough out on a table. Something savory simmered over the hearth.

"Come on in. I figured I would treat you to a meat pie for dinner," Kara said. She used her forearm to wipe at some flour that had dusted onto the side of her face.

"Before you pop that into the oven, I brought a thank you gift for you," Lena said. She handed over two small bags, one of sea salt and the other of black peppercorns.

"You shouldn't have," Kara said as she looked over the contents. "I was offering my place with no strings attached since I'm happy to have you as my guest."

"Call it a gift for my first, and so far, only friend, in the city. I think Cat Grant would be offended if I tried to move our relationship to that level just yet."

"Thank you, Lena." Kara replied. She ground the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle and scooped it into the thick vegetable and lamb stew hanging over the fire. She tossed in a pinch of the salt and mixed it together with a wooden spoon. Kara set the dough she had been rolling onto a tin plate and ladled in the stew. She covered it all with another layer of dough and placed the tin into the oven after perforating the top crust with a knife.

"It will just be a few minutes," she declared. "You told me a little about what you do and growing up in Venice this morning. I'd love to hear more."

"Is this for Cat Grant's reports or between friends?" Lena asked but with a smile on her lips. She pulled up a chair to the narrow counter.

Kara shrugged as she wiped the flour from her fingers with a hand towel. "Can it be a little of both? I may live in the city, but I moved here only a year ago. I still consider myself a country gal. Plus, there's all these whispers about you—a failed coup, a daring escape in the middle of the night, a vast treasure that's been buried between here and Venice."

"Is that what people have been saying?" Lena said chuckling. "Only the first two parts are true enough though I wasn't involved with the coup. It was all my brother and maybe a little of my mother. Has there been any word of them?"

Kara shook her head as she poured out two glasses of wine and pulled up a chair of her own. "Not that I've heard. What do you think made him revolt?"

Lena sipped on the wine as she stared into the embers of the fire. She had been asking herself that same question though she'd had an intimation of the answer ever since Jess had woken her up that night. "Venice cannot be Venice without the spice trade. Under this mantra, the Venetian government has taken a far more active role in the trade than any of the other merchant republics. The majority of vessels that fly the Venetian flag are constructed in a government shipyard we call the Arsenal, which is the most expansive in the known world. It's like a larger than life organism that exists to pump out more and more ships. Venetian spice merchants don't own their own trading vessels; they bid for carrying space in the government convoys which are also escorted by the navy when they make the trip east. 

"The one major exception is the Luthor fleet which operates independently and is a fly in the ointment for the government monopoly. Matters came to a head when the previous Doge died a few months ago and Lex put forth his candidacy to replace him. Lex shared heated words with the eventual election winner about the future direction of Venice. After the election, I would find Lex muttering to himself about a vast conspiracy against the Luthors. He seemed to be back to his usual charm and antics after a while, but I guess not," Lena concluded in a matter of fact way as if the consequences had happened to someone else.    

Kara patted Lena's hand. "It can be tough to truly know someone, even a family member you share the same household with."

She pulled the lamb pie out of the oven, and Lena's thoughts shifted to the residual feeling of her touch on Lena's hand. Kara plated a hefty slice for Lena before cutting her own portion. Lena blew on the pie, which was her first hot meal since leaving Venice. The fried, greasy, bony fish and stale ale at the tavern did not count as a meal considering she left most of it untouched. The first bite nearly burnt her tongue, but she gave out an indecent moan at the taste of the crispy dough and savory filling.

Talk during and after dinner turned toward her perspective on Venetian politics for Kara's report to Cat before detouring into Venetian sights and fun activities in Ancona. They called it a night only after the bottle of wine had been drained and the candles burned low. Lena followed Kara up a flight of stairs into a cozy bedroom with a ceiling low enough to touch. A single bed occupied the center of the room.

Lena nearly smacked herself in the forehead for forgetting that not everyone was so fantastically wealthy as to have multiple bedrooms or even multiple beds. A couch was probably even too much to ask for. The nights of sleeping in the same bed as her birth mother had slipped her mind. 

Lena turned to face the wall as Kara shimmied out of her tunic and peasant skirt to change into a chemise. "This is the second consecutive day you'll be seeing me in my nightgown," Lena said as she kept a close eye on Kara's blacksmith tools hanging from the wall. "Are you sure you won't get red in the face again?"

"I was surprised is all," Kara said as she climbed into bed. "Are you going to burst out into another giggling fit?"

Lena slipped under the covers as fast as she could. As much as she would have liked to give Kara another eyeful, she considered it poor taste to proposition a host in her own bed. Lena could separate her fantasy from reality.

"Your feet are freezing!" Kara exclaimed.

Lena could only muster a "sorry" as she tried to bury her face into the pillow.

"Give a girl some warning next time," Kara said as she blew out the candles. Lena closed her eyes and focused on her breathing as she tried to drift off to sleep. She had scrunched up onto her side of the bed, but the small size of the mattress meant she was close enough to feel the heat emanating from Kara's body. She listened to Kara's breathing until it evened out and lulled her into slumber.

 

 

 

The light of dawn peeked through Lena's eyelids. She felt the bed shifting behind her as Kara's body pushed up against hers and wrapped an arm around her waist. Lena curled into the body pressed against her back. A wet kiss fell on the base of her neck. Her eyes flew open as further kisses landed until teeth started nipping at the shell of her ear.

"I saw how you looked at me when I first undressed you," Kara whispered into Lena's ear. "Your nipples were so hard. Did you touch yourself that night when you got back to your room? Did you think about me on all fours with my face between your thighs or was I on my back as you tasted my folds?"

"I had you over a desk," Lena managed to get out.

Kara nipped again at her ear lobe. "That's what I wanted to hear. I got so wet thinking about you sharing my bed. You had me on edge all night waiting on you to make your move. It got to the point where I couldn't help myself."

Kara hand moved from around Lena's waist toward exploring the contour of her behind. Fingers caught onto the hem of Lena's nightgown and pulled the garment up above her waist. Kara trailed her fingers back and forth across Lena's thighs. Lena ground her hips against Kara hoping to urge the fingers onward. Kara said, "So impatient. The thought of you waking up next to me as I was getting off already sent me over the edge, but I'm still ready to go. Are you ready?"

Lena awoke from her dream to an aching between her legs. Kara was dozing next to her unbothered by a sunbeam scattered across her face. Lena slid her hand between her legs and was met by her wetness. She climbed out of bed doing her best to get dressed without an attendant on hand. She tiptoed down the stairs and avoided eye contact with the baker who was already at work. Her rented trading office by the docks had a reception area in the front, desks for clerks she still needed to hire, and a private office for herself. She locked the door to her office and jiggled the door handle twice. Lena then hitched up her dress and pushed into herself knuckle deep until she achieved ecstasy. She collapsed into a chair thinking Kara would be the death of her and her business.


	3. Chapter 3

After her _personal_ time, Lena straightened out a stack of blank parchment on her desk and dipped her quill into an inkwell. She disguised her letter to Jess as a note saying her "package" had arrived safely in Ancona. She left it unsigned and placed it into an envelope with a generic wax seal.

Next came the missives to the Venetian government, her clients and her fleet. She'd drafted various versions on the trip to Ancona but she'd crumpled them all up and tossed them overboard into the white-capped waves. That she'd been in Ancona for a further 48 hours and hadn't yet mailed anything out instigated a bout of queasiness in Lena's stomach. Lionel and Lillian had stamped out signs of procrastination in their children, but Lena found that not thinking about the words that would determine her future to be a seductive alternative to thinking about them. A headache from all the wine she imbibed last night further eroded her diligence.

She needed to express to the Doge the sincerity of her innocence and the depth of her remorse at the damage wrought by Lex's actions. Offering an indemnity of an amount to be negotiated later might help matters. She never relished the glad-handing as much as her father, but she planned to reach out to the other Venetian trading houses to cultivate potential sympathizers.

Her clients would be panicking at the thought she'd absconded with all their cash deposits to live a life of luxury overseas. To calm them required an aura of stability and trustworthiness—something along the lines of provisionally relocating to Ancona pending resolution of Venetian political concerns, which would not interfere with the delivery of pending or future orders.

She'd been referring to her newly inherited fleet as hers but they’d yet to be informed of who was now metaphorically steering the ship. Lena held the advantage of controlling the narrative as she assumed she would be their first contact with news of the coup. On the other hand, she needed to assure the crews they could still expect their salaries and that they wouldn't be branded as traitors when they set foot in Venice again. A nobleman's concern's that he might not procure the spices he needed for his banquet seemed trifling in comparison.

Lena tossed the quill aside after several scratched out drafts. The quill rolled off the desk onto the floor, but Lena didn't bother retrieving it. She slipped on her boots and headed out for the docks a few blocks over to find some distraction.

The captain of her ship was gesturing forcefully at his first mate with his jaw clenched. Lena only heard a few snippets of the raised voices before the captain caught sight of her and ended the discussion. The rest of the crew dispersed from the scene.

"Is there something I need to know about?" Lena asked when the captain ushered her into his cabin.

He evaded her eyes. "Tensions are running high, but nothing I can't handle."

"And why are tensions running high?" Lena said with an arched eyebrow. "I know of dozens of potential reasons, but narrow it down for me."

The captain chewed on his tongue. "The men who were able to bring their families thanks to your charity have their minds on finding them enough to eat and a safe place to sleep rather than their ship duties. The children might think of this as a grand adventure but packing the ship with three times the usual passenger capacity has frayed a lot of nerves. The crew who weren't able to retrieve their families are distracted by what could be happening back home."

Lena pursed her lips. "Get me the names of those with families in Venice. I'll have my contact reach out to ensure that they're safe from government attention. For those taking care of their families here, I'll provide an emergency stipend to cover their expenses. Call it hazard pay for staying loyal to me."

The sack of gold Jess had procured from the mansion had shed half its weight. Lena could kick herself for paying for a new wardrobe when her crew lacked a proper roof over their heads, especially considering what Cat Grant charged for her services. She continued, "Take the spices we have onboard and start selling them off to the other spice merchants in town at whatever price you can get. I'll trust you to disperse the amounts to your crew as you think appropriate. I'll be speaking with them all later today to assure them that this situation is only temporary until emotions cool back in Venice and reason allows us to return home."

The captain nodded, and Lena started back for her office with a greater headache. She preferred sitting all day at the negotiating table to returning to her writing, but the letters could only come from her quill. She hoped the captain's experience in haggling for the spices in Alexandria would transfer to selling them in Ancona. Even if his prices didn't rise up to Luthor standards, the coins did more good for her crew than the spices.

Lena rounded a corner and nearly bumped into Kara who had been waiting by her office door. Lena did her best to screw on a smile over her jolt of surprise and embarrassment. She resolved to stop masturbating to the woman if she was going to be constantly running into her.

"I missed you this morning," Kara said. "I was going to make you breakfast."

"Sorry," Lena replied. "I needed to get into the office early to get some work done and didn't want to wake you. I did want to thank you for letting me stay over. It was better than waking up in the middle of the night to a table being smashed apart downstairs by a drunken brawl."

"Is that the standard I had to beat? But no worries, I figured you had important things to take care of," Kara said. "Anyways, we're still working on your dresses. Cat has them prioritized, but the first one will take a few more days. We have prepared some of the other items you were missing."

Kara unbuckled a leather satchel she'd been carrying. Inside were tunics, chemises, hosiery, and unmentionables as Kara termed them. " I wasn't sure if you would be visiting Ms. Grant today so I brought them to you. Should we try them on now?"

Lena couldn't see a way out of it so she entered her office while Kara waited in the reception area. Her lips quirked up into a grin as she discarded the nightgown and slipped on proper undergarments and a chemise.

Kara knocked at the door. "How's it all fit?"

"I think pretty good," Lena replied.

"You think? I'm coming in," Kara said. "Trust the professional." She appraised how the fabric hung off of Lena's body, pulling at slack and eyeing snug spots. As Kara had her stretching out her limbs in a range of motions to see how the clothes moved with her body, Lena's stomach decided now was the moment to growl.

"Did you skip breakfast?" Kara accused.

"Possibly," Lena admitted as her cheeks reddened.

"Let me lace you into your dress, and we'll go grab an early lunch. I'm telling you now that I'm paying since I owe you a meal."

"How do you owe me a meal?" Lena asked with her hands on her hips. "I'm the one who stayed over free of charge."

"Dinner and breakfast are included whenever you stay with a Danvers." Kara said. "Plus, you're the one who brought the salt and pepper, which is more than enough payment."

"Is this how our relationship is going to go? You get me something, then I reciprocate and we go back and forth in an endless cycle?"

"That sounds like a great life philosophy to me," Kara said with a smile. The two women strolled over to the market district with Kara leading the charge to all her favorite stalls while chatting with every purveyor. They nibbled on samples of smoked sausage, fresh baked bread, peaches, pears, and slices of cheese before returning to the office with their bounty. Lena cleared her desk to use as a dining table.

"You're welcome to stay over again tonight. I shared a bedroom with my sister before moving to Ancona, so I miss having the company. Living in a place all to myself still feels too quiet. Just don't bring any more gifts," Kara said as she wagged her finger Lena's way.

The words, “I really couldn't impose on you anymore,” came to Lena's lips, but she couldn't bear to look for new lodgings and furnishings in the middle of everything else she had to do. “If you're offering, maybe I will,” popped out instead.

A knock came at the office door, and the captain entered. "Apologies, I didn't realize you were in the middle of eating. I brought the receipts from our first batch of sales this morning, but I can come back later."

"No, please come in," Lena said. "I hope you don't mind, Kara. This will be quick."

"Not at all. I'm the one who's taking up all your time," Kara answered with her mouth stuffed half full with food.

Lena transcribed the captain's notes into her accounting ledger. She crinkled her nose at the profit margins, but beggars couldn't be choosers. A pouch brimming with coins clinked around as he set it onto her desk. Back in Venice, Lena would have counted the amount before depositing the coins into a safe. Today she fished out a stack for her personal use and passed the rest back to the captain with instructions to continuing liquidating the pepper. As she plopped her personal coin purse onto her desk, Kara said, "You weren't kidding about how much money there was in the spice trade."

Lena suppressed a chuckle. She recalled the first silver coin she had received from Lionel. It was a novel concept at the time as her mother had lacked the means to indulge her with an allowance. She'd held the silver coin so tight in her tiny fist it almost burned, but soon thereafter she picked up the chore of helping the clerks count the take as they tallied up receipts. The literal bags of gold that passed through her hands created an impression that the metal was as common as clay.

"It's not even about the money at this point. The money pays for nice things," Lena conceded, "but it’s more of a secondary scorecard for spice merchants. Nobles compete to see how much spice they can flash at their banquets. We compete on bringing in and selling the biggest hauls of spice, so that in our insular world when someone mentions the Luthor trading house, it conjures up a specific reputation in their minds. There are the giants, the laughing stocks, the young upstarts, and the fading empires."

"Tell me more," Kara requested as she munched on a slice of pear. "It's not every day I get to have a sit-down conversation with a spice merchant."

Lena obliged. "The first stage of competition is sourcing your goods, which means sailing to Alexandria, Jaffa, Beirut, Acre or any other major trading hub in the East to find a supplier. If you don't have an existing contact or someone to make an introduction, your purchase might have more dirt and twigs in it than actual spices. Without that initial trust, it can take years of trial and error to build the right relationship. Besides quality, a good supplier also provides quantity. Operating a ship full of cargo costs nearly the same as sailing an empty vessel. If you can't find enough spice to fill up the cargo hold, your captain will waste time searching for alternate merchants or load up on too much of one type of spice that you'll then have to sell off at a discount.

"That brings up the second stage, in which you become the seller trying to project quality and quantity for your clients. Of course, if you've picked up too much inventory, that's greater exposure to losses from fires, thieves, and vermin. I'm happiest when a shipment arrives in the harbor one day, a trade caravan takes it out of my warehouse the next, and I've got gold in my hand.

"Spice merchants will compete for bragging rights but traders in one city don't necessarily compete against each other like in other industries. We're bound together in the same ecosystem. The biggest trade caravans of the year have a knack for showing up right when there's a shortage of spice in the East or a wave of piracy is sweeping the Mediterranean. When a trading house can’t fulfill a client’s order all on its own, it’ll buy whatever supply is available in the city from the other houses or organize a temporary consortium with an arrangement to split the order revenue. The client gets what they need regardless of who directly owned the spices before them, and they're more likely to return to Venice in the future. In addition, if a Venetian trading house is giving the rest of us a poor reputation, such as by breaking their contracts or doctoring their goods, we'll partner together in a boycott against them. Every day is a fresh challenge and environment, so the job can be quite addicting," Lena concluded. She realized she'd been speaking nonstop for a while but given the pervasiveness of spice in Venice, she rarely had opportunities to express her love for the trade to someone with fresh eyes.

"That's much more interesting than what I do all day," Kara said in awe.

"Spice trading may say sound adventurous, but it's mostly bookkeeping and meetings. I think working for an information broker has me beat in terms of cache," Lena countered.

"I spend my days running errands and taking notes for Ms. Grant, and my time is split between the dress making business and her information work," Kara said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"You also bake the most amazing things and you blacksmith on the side. I wish I was good at so many things."

"I enjoy those things, but they're not my calling. Not like you and your spice trading," Kara said. She leaned forward toward Lena. "Can I let you in on a secret? I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but you're my first client assignment in the field, so if there's anything at all I can do for you, please let me know."

Lena thought to the unwritten letters she still hadn't composed. "Do you mind if I bounce some ideas off of you?" she asked. Lena walked through her objectives and together they finished drafting the letters by the late afternoon. Kara dropped off the papers at the dress shop where scribes would produce copies for Cat's payroll of messengers. Lena checked in with her crew members and presented gifts to the Anconan trading houses before returning to Kara's home for a second night.

Lena opened the door to the aroma of baked polenta served alongside the remaining smoked sausage from lunch because Kara really had purchased too much food for the two of them. Lena couldn't recall the last time she’d shared a meal with someone without her guard up. In Venice she utilized mealtimes as another opportunity to entertain clients and win their business. As her body went through the motions of a rehearsed joke or punctuated her pitch with a practiced gesture, her mind imagined the presentation through the client's perspective rather than remembering to savor the food. Dinners with Lillian tended to sour her appetite as much as they strained the definition of cordiality. Lena probably hadn't been herself at a meal with another person since Lex was still Lex.

After dinner, Lena found herself sitting cross-legged on Kara’s bed as the other woman ran a comb through her locks. Kara commented, "Eliza would brush my hair and tell me fables on nights when I had trouble falling asleep even when she must have been exhausted from all the farm work.”

"Who's Eliza?" Lena asked. She could imagine falling back into Kara’s arms and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

"My adoptive mother," Kara said. Lena didn't ask further though felt a warmness in her heart at meeting a fellow orphan. “My sister would get jealous and demand her turn at Eliza’s side. I tried to keep the peace by offering to comb Alex’s hair myself. She turned me down initially, but I wore her down. It broke my heart a little when she chopped her hair short before she left home and I realized I’d never be able to do this again for her.”

The two women sat in silence aside from Kara’s humming of an unfamiliar melody. "So now that your letters are on their way, what will you do next?" she asked.

"I'll keep monitoring my crew making sure they're comfortable, but otherwise there's not much to do but wait. I have a good feeling though," Lena said. Little did she know how wrong she was.


	4. Chapter 4

Cat Grant handed over across her desk Venice's official response to Lena's plea of innocence. The seal had already been broken, but the lack of secrets between the two women had been part of their arrangement. The letter demanded Lena's unconditional return to face charges of treason. The courts had voided all her active contracts. Any Venetian merchant found abetting Lena would be barred from purchasing cargo space on the government spice convoys. Any client purchasing from Lena would be blacklisted from ever trading again within the city borders. Shipments of gold or spices related to the Luthors would be confiscated.

"We call this a settlement failure in the trading business," Lena said as she tossed the letter back onto Cat's desk. "A buyer and seller come together to negotiate a price and a product. Everybody shakes hands on the deal but at delivery time either the money or the spice is missing. That leaves the other side very panicky because they're not sure if the deal is still happening or if they need to start thinking about contingencies. I literally own tons of spices that are on their way to Ancona which I can't legally deliver to my clients."

Lena massaged her temple with her fingers. "Have you heard anything further about my brother or my mother?"

"Your brother was convicted along with a few of his close accomplices. The execution date is to be determined. The trial went quick but observers say it was fair enough given how much evidence the state had piled up against him. Lillian is still missing and presumed to have escaped Venice though there is a chance she may have been killed in the chaos. Most of your employees and their families have dodged scrutiny from the authorities though they've been hired away by the other trading operations. Jess is already employed with another household," Cat said.

"That's some good news at least," Lena conceded, though a pang of guilt hit her chest at what was to become of the crew who had aided her escape. 

"What's your next move?" Cat asked. "A diplomatic complaint was sent to the Anconan government, and I'm expending a lot of my influence to keep them from expelling you from the city. I want to know I'm backing someone with a sensible plan. I'm also willing to shake hands and go our separate ways. I don't like admitting I bet on a losing horse, but I survive in my business by knowing when to walk away."

Lena narrowed her eyes at Cat in a glare before resuming her business facade. "Just because I don't want all that spice doesn't mean it's not worth a fortune. I have clients who would be willing to deal with me away from Venice's prying eyes. Rushing back to Venice now will only put my head on the executioner's block. The longer I can operate independently in Ancona, the more leverage I have with Venice to negotiate my return since any wealth I spread around here is prosperity and tariffs that Venice is missing out on. You just have to give me more time."

 

 

 

As Lena dug in for a war of attrition, she started looking for a home of her own to rent. The sex dream hadn't reoccurred and she would miss Kara's dinners, but it really was time to stop imposing. On Kara's insistence, she found a house away from the docks in a residential district not too far from where Kara stayed. Her morning walk to her office would take longer, but Kara said it was safer especially given Lena's late hours. The two women went furniture shopping together, and Kara purchased some potted house plants for Lena to place around her new home. Lena hired a small staff to mind the cleaning and cooking.

On the day Lena moved in, Kara dropped by with a housewarming gift wrapped in linen. Inside was a curved dagger from Kara's workshop. "I won't be around as much to protect you, so just in case," the blacksmith had said. Lena had to laugh at the idea of her friend giving her a dagger, but she slept with it under her pillow all the same. During the day, she slipped the knife into her garter and found herself tracing the outline of the scabbard when her mind wandered. 

She had a bouquet of flowers delivered as a thank you to Kara as she was too embarrassed to hand them over in person. On a second thought, she also sent an arrangement to Cat. Kara reciprocated with a fruit tart when Lena picked up her new dresses from the shop.

Kara continued interviewing Lena at her trading office and over the next few weeks also started delivering client responses that cancelled their pending orders. Apparently, hosting banquets for her clients a few times a year and remembering the names of their children only accrued so much loyalty.

The rest of her fleet rolled into Ancona's harbor in stages, which made most everyone happy except for Lena. Longshoremen worked double shifts unloading the crates and sacks of spices off the vessels. The warehouses on the waterfront were fit to burst, and landlords cleared out broom closets and creaky shacks for more rental space. Lena took to storing the spillover inventory in her house until she was tripping over boxes of cinnamon each night while the smell of pepper seeped into every nook.

With all the gold flowing out of Lena's pockets, the taverns and brothels stayed open through the night from the additional customers. The room she had rented at the Siren was going for twice the rate she had paid previously. The lace makers, alongside the moral guardians, complained of their workers cutting off early to pick up extra shifts as bar maids. The captain of the city watch complained to Cat about all the drunkards weaving through the streets at night. Cat gave Lena an earful, though she only half nodded along because she had better things to do than to sit there for a scolding. Her crews packed the gambling halls during the day because what else did they have to do? Lena kept paying their salaries so they wouldn't scatter to the winds for other employment. Their families were in Venice, and Lena wasn't going to send the crews back to Alexandria for more spice when she owned too much inventory already. When three of her ships arrived in the harbor on the same day, she had half a mind to send them straight back across the Mediterranean to refund their cargo. Lena eventually resigned herself to leaving the crates sitting on the ships until she figured out a better course of action. She'd accumulated enough spice to bankrupt a small kingdom, but was it worth anything if there was no one around to purchase for it? She could cover her expenses by paying in spice but eventually she needed to return to Alexandria with gold if her business was going to survive for the long term.

A few of Lena's established clients continued purchasing spices from her but it was like digging out a beach of spice with a tablespoon. The threat of the Venetian embargo scared off the rest. The Anconan spice merchants would have had to be blind to not notice her predicament, so they stood ready to buy her supply at fire sale discounts. Even they, however, had limits to how much they could purchase and offload to their clients before their coffers ran dry and their own warehouses were stacked to the ceiling.

Lena took to sleeping under her desk with a blanket and pillow she brought from her bedroom. She began wondering why she even rented her own place when she had the office. She oversaw all the sales and accounting work as if she were a single proprietor trading operation while dealing with the volume of one of the trading world’s behemoths. She hired additional staff and rented another office to house them (more expenses out of her pocketbook), but she spent her days walking them through every process, watching them over their shoulders, and double checking everything. A trained staff paid dividends in the long run, but in the present moment Lena lacked the space in her schedule to hold their hands. She could have poached more experienced clerks from the other Anconan trading houses, but few would have transferred to her sinking business without a hefty premium to their salary. Only when everyone had left for the day could Lena pull herself out of the weedy details and tackle the big, looming problems of her continued exile. More than once she fell asleep drooling atop her papers, woke up in the middle of the night, re-lit the oil lamps, and picked up her quill to continue working.

One morning Lena literally lost a ship, as in it had been anchored there the night before and was gone by first light. The captain left behind an apology saying the homesick crew had sailed home for Venice. Lena's pitch to Cat had been that she had the clients and the ships. Now her clients had abandoned her and her ships were either languishing worthless or actively plotting mutiny. Lena fantasized about starting fresh all over again. She could catch a caravan to Genoa or Pisa and change her name, though without her Luthor pedigree she doubted anyone would give her a chance in another trading house.

Kara knocked at her office door. She had developed a routine of slipping away from the dress shop during her lunchtime to bring Lena something filling to eat or dropping by after work to drag Lena back to her house so that she spent a night in her own bed every once in a while. To Lena's guilt, she felt flashes of annoyance at the one bright spot of her day when the voice in her head said she should be banging her head at work rather than chatting with Kara.

"Come along with me tomorrow for a picnic," Kara said.

Lena rubbed at her sleep deprived eyes. "I have too much work to get through."

"You'll feel better after you take a break. Tomorrow's Sunday, and no one else is going to be working. Even I'm not picking up a hammer. You can get a clear head and tackle all these problems on Monday."

"Is this checking in on me on behalf of Cat?" Lena asked.

"This is me asking as your friend," Kara replied.

Lena agreed, and Kara arranged a carriage to take them out of the city. Lena offered to pay, but Kara insisted as she was the one to invite Lena. The horse clopped on a paved road of the old Roman Empire following the coastline away from the docks and fishing piers into pristine shores with rolling waves and the cry of seagulls. Even though Lena had been living in Ancona for several weeks, she had yet to venture beyond the city walls. They traveled in silence and Lena only realized she had fallen asleep on Kara's shoulder when her friend nudged her awake. Lena started apologizing, but Kara only grinned in response. They reached foothills dotted with vineyards and olive tree orchards.

Kara hopped off the carriage and offered her arm to Lena. She gave instructions to have the carriage driver pick them up in a few hours before leading the way down a dirt path cut between the trees. Leaves crunched underneath their feet until the two women arrived at a grassy riverbank.

"I find the city gets too suffocating sometimes with all the people, smells, and noises, so I like to sneak away into the countryside. They're not quite yet in season but there's some good wildberry bushes around here," Kara said. Lena closed her eyes listening to the lazy flow of the river and the occasional chirp of a song bird. The sun warmed the back of her neck. When she opened her eyes, Kara had set out a picnic spread on a blanket. Lena moved to sit next to her friend.

"You know why I came to Ancona. What made you move away from home?" Lena asked.

"Mostly for the money. The Danvers owned a plot of land outside a small village where we grew wheat. We also raised hogs and chickens and tended some olive trees we would press for oil to sell in the village market. It was enough for some small luxuries, like the family bible which my sister and I learned to read and write from. After Jeremiah passed, the three of us couldn't run the entire farm on our own but hiring an additional hand or renting out the land stretched our budget.

“Eliza planted medicinal herbs in her garden and made house calls for people who were too poor to afford the doctor. As soon as Alex thought she was old enough, she left home to take what she had learned from Eliza to become a traveling apothecary. We didn't hear from her for a while but then some coins started trickling in by messenger every few months. She also sent letters talking about her travels from Sicily to Lombardy and even across the sea to Croatia. I thought about striking out on my own adventure to earn my keep," Kara said as a grin crept across her face. "I was sort of a disaster at first, but Ms. Grant noticed I was literate so I became her assistant. I picked up some odd jobs as a blacksmith along the way. Eliza's been supportive but she's worried about Alex not settling down back home so she's been pestering me to get a husband so I can inherit the farm and give her grandkids. I don't know about that just yet."

"Sounds like you were really lucky to have had Eliza and Jeremiah," Lena said. Was Lena fortunate to have been adopted by the Luthors? She remembered the days when her mother went hungry so that she would have something on her plate. In the Luthor mansion, the larder was stocked by the help and her closet was refreshed with new dresses every season. She thought about burning all her bridges and settling for a simpler life without all the hassles of spice trading. Lena snorted at the idea of her doing manual labor.

"What's so funny?" Kara asked

Lena covered her mouth. "No, it’s nothing. I'm sorting some things out in my head."

They lay there on the blanket sunbathing for a bit until Kara declared she was ready to try out the water as the rising sun was getting too warm. She undid the laces to her dress which sent the fabric spilling off her shoulders. "Don't worry, this is a pretty secluded area. I don't take just anyone here," Kara said in response to the agape look on Lena's face. Lena stared at muscled arms and supple breasts as Kara bent down to lay her folded clothes onto the picnic blanket. Lena watched the sway of her hips as she ambled down the riverbank toward the water.

"Aren't you coming in?" Kara called out over her shoulder.

By the time Lena had taken off her own dress, Kara had already dunked her head into the river. As she surfaced for air, the light glimmered off the water dripping from her body like something out of a fantasy. Lena dipped her feet into the river holding her arms across her chest as she did. The coolness of the water contrasted against her sun warmed skin. Then Kara yanked her in as Lena yelped. The blacksmith laughed as the trader sputtered water.

As Lena gained her footing atop the riverbed and pulled the wet hair from her eyes, Kara wrapped her arms around her in an embrace, resting her chin on Lena's shoulder. Not sure how to respond, Lena left her arms floating at her side. Kara spoke, "Before I met the Danvers, I used to live far to the north where snow blanketed the roads in the wintertime. We were on the boundary between two fiefdoms so it was prone to raids. One day there was a border dispute, and my parents passed me off to a family friend to take me with her. I could see the flames from the village as we rode away. That was the last time I saw my family, so I know what it's like to lose everything and start over. If I hadn't endured all that, however, I wouldn't be here today swimming in this river with you. You have to keep marching forward no matter what. It'll all work out in the end."

"I wasn't that close to my mother, and the brother I grew up with wasn't the same man who launched the coup," Lena evaded. She tried kicking off away the other woman's arms, but Kara held tight, so Lena relaxed into her friend's embrace. Lex sat in chains while her fellow Venetians danced in the streets to celebrate his impending execution. She had looked all around for someone to grab her hand and assure her that losing him would be something to mourn—not necessarily because he didn't deserve his fate but because he did, and Lena wasn't sure when she had lost sight of the brother who used to always stand by her side. It had become second nature for Lena’s lips to denounce her brother’s actions at the mere mention of his name and pivot the conversation back to trading concerns. Once not that long ago, she’d quirk up into a smile at hearing about his latest triumph or boondoggle. She’d certainly daydreamed about taking the reins of the trading house to mold into her own image, but not like this. She took a moment to hold a funeral in her mind.

Lena returned Kara's hug. "Okay, I get your point. Can you please stop hugging me?" Lena said though without any bite.

"You let go first," Kara hummed. They swam for a little longer in the river. Kara floated on her back with her arms propelling her against the current and the peaks of her breasts just below the water's surface. Lena kept her feet solidly on the riverbed occasionally soaking her head under the water. After they toweled off and dressed, they reclined on the picnic blanket. Lena clothes clung to her damp skin but she luxuriated in the feeling of the sun warming her up again.

She reached over to grasp Kara's hand in hers. “Thanks, Kara.” Her heart fluttered when Kara squeezed back.

 

 

 

Cat Grant sent a messenger requesting Lena's presence for an emergency meeting. She filed away her papers and hoped her staff wouldn't give away her trading empire while she was away, though the enterprise continued shrinking by the day.

"This arrived in my office today for you," Cat said gesturing to an iron chest dominating the middle of her office floor. She beckoned Lena around and pried open the lid. Gold coins stacked to the brim spilled out onto the carpet. Even Lena couldn't stop herself from gasping in surprise at the displayed wealth. She squatted down to examine the coins; they were hyperpyrons from the Empire of the Greeks though she couldn't recall having such a major client in Constantinople.

"It's from your mother," Cat said.

The coin nearly slipped from Lena's grasp. "Where is she?"

Cat answered, "My sources say she's visiting various nobility throughout the Greek peninsula including a lengthy stay in the capital. She's crossing back west at the moment. I can't be sure of her motivations since the coup, but I think we have a good guess."

Lena stared at her blankly. Cat rolled her eyes. She continued, "To procure money for your trading company. I don't know whether she had it hidden away somewhere or borrowed it from a friend, but this gold is addressed to you. It certainly isn't for me."

"She doesn't have friends," Lena stated.

"Allies and sympathizers then. The chest also came with an order list to be delivered across various cities in Greece," Cat said as she handed over an additional parchment.

Lena skimmed over the quantities. It would go towards bringing her inventory down to a manageable level, though the gold in the chest far exceeded what the spice was worth. "She borrowed it most likely or at least some of it. There's always a catch with her. Did she send any other message?"

"No, she didn't, but better for you to be on the hook for an interest payment somewhere down the line than to be bankrupt next month," Cat said. "You're not seriously considering turning this down, are you? I know better than you think about the state of your finances."

Bile rose in Lena's throat at the thought that if Jess hadn't awoken her in the middle of the night, Lena would have found out about the coup when the mob broke down her front door. Lillian's first communication to her daughter had been to deliver an invoice for spices rather than any sort of apology. Lena scolded herself for worrying that Lillian had been killed during the rebellion or had been living as a fugitive on the run unable to even reach out to Lena for help.

Her loathing warred with the opportunity to succeed where Lex and Lionel had once stood and prove Lillian wrong. Delusional hope flickered in her heart that the gold was Lillian's way of supporting her now that they were the last two free Luthors. Even Lillian's best compliments towards Lena had always been backhanded, but perhaps spice traders were better at expressing their affection in gold rather than in words. Kara had told her to keep marching forward no matter what. Lena swallowed down the distaste and said, "Have the chest delivered to my office." 


	5. Chapter 5

Kara dropped off a survey of spice prices in Venice. Lena cracked a grin at the double-digit premiums Venetian spices commanded as compared to the Anconan markets. "Good news, I take it?" Kara asked. "You look happier than I've seen you in a while."

"Very good news," Lena answered. "My business has gotten hold of a lifeline, so you won't be getting rid of me yet." 

The Venetian markets were suffering from shortages as Lena's fleet had rerouted its deliveries to Ancona and then Greece. The spice trade's tightly controlled supply and insatiable demand contributed to the traders' fantastic wealth under normal market circumstances but also prevented the Venetian merchants from finding the inventory to fill the orders of Lena’s clients since her exile left them languishing. The Venetians could clear out their warehouses, but eventually they would run out of stock as the government convoys could only make so many trips across the Mediterranean in a given season. The republic could commission the Arsenal shipyard to construct more vessels to replace the lost transportation capacity, but the Luthor fleet hadn't sunk to the ocean floor. It sat in Ancona, and if Lena ever sent them back toward Alexandria, the market would be flooded with a supply glut stunting the industry's profitability and imperiling the city's ability to pay off any debt taken on to finance the new vessels.

Rumor spread that not a single unclaimed peppercorn could be found in Venice, so frenzied clients bought up all the spices they could source at progressively higher bids. The Venetians couldn't make more spice appear out of thin air at any price, however, so prices kept rising. As the trading houses looked upon their dwindling inventory, they decided to sit on their hands and wait for the assuredly higher values that would be arriving the next day. Supply thus further diminished, while demand intensified which sent more trading houses to the sidelines in a feedback loop. The Venetian market could have adapted to the loss of the Luthor trading fleet if the populace was confident in such an outcome, but panic won over instead.

Cat Grant fanned the news of the plentiful spices in Ancona to the trading houses and clients frustrated with the Venetian markets. The Venetian sanctions were still in effect, but spice trading was a game of middlemen. Non-Venetian agents purchased directly from Lena and organized their own transportation by ship or overland caravan. The end clients could plausibly say they had not dealt directly with Lena Luthor and could not be expected to track the dozen or so times their pepper had changed hands between India and Italy. The revenue paled in comparison to the golden years, but Lena could carve out a sustainable income.

"I might be able to leave work early for once," Lena said.

"You mean before midnight?" Kara teased.

"I'm serious," Lena replied. "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? I'll have my cook whip up something nice, and I'll open a bottle of wine. I've been stocking up the cellar."

"Sounds great. I'll see you tonight," Kara answered.

Despite having to supervise the loading of her fleet for their journeys up and down the Greek coastline after another of Lillian's invoices arrived, Lena did indeed leave the office early. Her attendant undid her usual bun and stylized it with a more formal plait. Lena hovered around the kitchen watching the meal preparation until her cook worked up the nerve to shoo her out. She followed the maid around as she dusted the house until the woman's nervous glances toward her mistress sent Lena to the sitting room to wait for Kara’s arrival. She had a book in her lap but her eyes kept flitting away from the pages towards the window into the courtyard. She jumped to her feet and straightened out her gown as she listened to a servant answering the door to Kara's knock. Kara had designed Lena’s current ensemble—a sleeveless emerald outergown with a white silk tunic underneath.

She greeted Kara with a hug even though they had only seen each other a few hours ago. "I couldn't believe I haven't had you over for a meal since I moved in, so excuse me if I went a little overboard with dinner tonight."

"That will never be a problem for me," Kara said as Lena escorted her to the dining room. She had installed a long dining table to entertain large parties but tonight had directed their two place settings to be arranged side by side at a corner. The maid brought out a tureen of fresh caught crab and clam soup simmered with star anise and ginger. Lena's spoon hovered at her lips until Kara took a sip and voiced her approval. The aromas of cloves, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom filled the room as an attendant poured out two mugs of mulled wine from a steaming pot. She sliced the orange peel garnishment at the table adding citrus to the mix in the air. Lena felt get giddy at the look of enjoyment on Kara's face as she tried the drink. After the soup came strips of beef sautéed in black pepper and topped with bright yellow ginger sliced razor thin served alongside scoops of orzo cooked in saffron.

For dessert Lena had personally picked out a batch of strawberries and grapefruits flawless enough to immortalize in a still life. "Just one moment," Lena cautioned as Kara reached out for a halved strawberry. Lena's eyes brightened in anticipation of the dinner's final event. The maid returned from the kitchen to sprinkle fresh ground black pepper over the strawberries and granules of salt over the grapefruit slices.

Kara's eyebrows rose up. "Trust me," Lena said.

Kara plucked a pepper dusted strawberry from the plate and bit into it. Her eyes rolled up in pleasure, "I've never eaten a strawberry that tasted so much like a strawberry. The pepper isn't as strong as I expected," she exclaimed. She popped the rest of the berry into her mouth.

"And this is so sweet," she announced as she grabbed a slice of grapefruit.

"The magic of spices," Lena grinned as she took a strawberry for herself. They retired to the sitting room after dinner with the attendant on hand to refresh their mugs of wine.

"How's the spice trading going?" Kara asked.

"Cat has told the city watch to direct their complaints to me when one of my crew gets into a drunken fight in the streets," Lena laughed. "Other than that, there's some sunlight peeking through the darkness. Venice hasn't reached out yet, but their markets are roiling in volatility while I've finally stabilized my business. I might even start purchasing more spice soon. As you can see, I no longer have to find space for all my excess supply in the hallways of my home. The trading houses are getting comfortable with doing business with me again, even if it’s through middlemen, so I think it's only a matter of time before they start grumbling to the Doge for my return. Thank you again for taking me out swimming in the river. If I hadn't paused for a day from my meetings or accounting entries to find some time for myself, I wouldn't have lasted in Ancona until now."

"I'm glad I could be of help," Kara said as she raised her mug in a toast.

The hour grew late as the two friends caught up on the past few weeks. Having finished the mulled wine, they uncorked a bottle of red from the cellar. Lena relieved the house staff of their duties for the night leaving Kara and her the only two people in the world. Lena had already instructed the maid prepare the guest chambers for Kara but held back on offering a bed for the night because if they didn't think of sleep their conversation could keep going.

Lena got to recollecting on her favorite pastime in Venice. "Sunday mornings in the summer were the best. My mother would be away at service to make sure she was seen, and she always stayed around afterward to gossip. I would hire a gondola to wander around the canals going nowhere in particular. We'd drift from my neighborhood, which was filled with the mansions of merchant families, to the homes of the shipwrights and carpenters. Sometimes I would direct the gondolier to the foreign quarter where I could eavesdrop on the foreign tongues of traveling merchants. Other times, we would dock near the Piazza San Marco. I would lay against the bottom of the gondola and stare up into the sky. The water would lap against the hull as a thousand conversations chattered away in the piazza. I would drink from a wineskin feeling like I was at the nexus of the universe. I can’t wait to get back to those days." 

Lena closed her eyes in remembrance, the memories from her near past blurring together with the current haze of the sweet alcohol in her veins. It took her a moment to register Kara's palm resting on her knee. She looked down and then back at Kara without a word passing between them. Blood pounded in Lena's ears as she told herself she could separate fantasy from reality and that the look of longing in Kara's eyes was a mirage.

Kara leaned forward to wrap her arm around Lena's waist. Excitement unfurled underneath her skin as Kara pulled her closer. The blonde halted an inch from Lena's face. “I’m going to kiss you now,” Kara swallowed. Lena licked her lips and kept them parted, but Kara remained unmoving staring into Lena’s eyes. Before either of them could lose their nerve, Lena closed the last of the distance tasting the wine on Kara's tongue. Kara's hands slipped under Lena's hips and lifted the trader into her lap. Kara broke their kiss to direct her attention to Lena's exposed throat. Lena's hands cradled the back of Kara's neck to encourage her.

Lena shifted her weight to press Kara down onto her back on the couch. She straddled Kara's waist as she looked down at the blacksmith's heaving chest, flushed skin, and dilated eyes. She placed an index finger on Kara's bottom lip which the blonde proceeded to suck on. Lena's spine shuddered at the sensation. Kara guided Lena down to her level as Lena maneuvered one of her legs to press between Kara's thighs. Kara's eyes opened wide in surprise and a moan fluttered from her mouth. Kara undid the top laces of Lena's dress with the practiced skill of a dressmaker. She pressed sloppy kisses against Lena's jawline and then migrated to the pulse point of her neck. She pulled the outergown and underlying tunic down past the shoulders to lick at the skin. One of her hands palmed at Lena's still covered breasts.

Lena rubbed her leg against Kara's center. Kara bit down onto Lena's shoulder which induced a sharp intake of breath from the spice merchant at the cocktail of pain and pleasure. "More," Kara panted into Lena's ear. "I need more."

"Bedroom." Lena extricated herself from Kara's grasp and took her by the hand. Tension bubbled up inside Lena's chest with every step she took toward her room on the second floor. As Kara slammed the door behind them, she pinned Lena against the wall and began yanking the remaining layers off her body in the darkness. The evening air raised goosebumps on Lena's arms as her gown and tunic pooled at her feet. Kara lay down kisses starting at the notch between Lena's clavicles and moving down until she began suckling on Lena's nipple through the remaining chemise. Lena's hands ran along the muscled contours of Kara's back.

Lena twisted free from Kara's body and placed her hands onto Kara's shoulders. "Wait here a moment. I don't want you to rip every piece of clothing you got for me," she said. Lena moved toward the bed at the center of the room illuminating her body against the moonlight streaming through her window. She still had Kara's dagger strapped against her hips with a garter. As she pulled the scabbard loose, a wicked smirk came to her lips. She set the blade on the bed before bending down to slide the garter off her leg, which offered Kara an unobstructed view down the valley of Lena's chest. She tossed the warm ribbon of lace to the blacksmith and began rolling down her stockings inch by inch. Darkness shrouded Kara's expression, but the increased volume of her breathing sent liquid heat down to Lena's core.

The spice merchant retrieved the knife from the bed. She pulled the blade out from the scabbard and held it before her. She pressed a finger against the edge experimentally. Then with her free hand, she tugged the fabric of the chemise clear from her body and sliced down. She heard Kara swallowing over the sound of tearing silk. The cleaved chemise fell from Lena's shoulders revealing her bare breasts. She rolled her erect nipples in her fingers before reclining onto the bed. Lena put her legs together to slip off her soaked underwear. She let the white fabric hang off one of her ankles as she spread her legs again. "Now you can continue," she said.

Kara approached the bed shedding off her own gown. She planted kisses across the expanse of ivory skin before her, starting from the toes and exploring north to the calves and Lena's inner thighs. Lena arched her back as Kara nipped at the skin above her hip bone. Lena placed two fingers on Kara's chin and guided the blonde up to her head, evidence of Kara's excitement leaving a trail against Lena's legs. Kara propped herself up on her elbows. Her hair fell in a curtain around Lena's face. "What was that about you not wanting me to rip all your clothes off?" Kara purred.

"I guess I'll have to visit you for another fitting," Lena replied as she ran her hands inspected the blacksmith's biceps. The two women pulled together for another kiss. Lena turned their joined bodies so that they lay side by side on the bed. Her fingers traced down along Kara's abs and moved past her mound until she entered her with an index finger. The sight of Kara biting into a pillow to stifle her whimper nearly sent Lena over the edge herself. She slid another digit inside and pushed her palm against Kara's clit.

"Right there," Kara managed to get out between wheezing pants and through clenched eyes. Spasms rocked her body as Lena pumped in and out of her. She grabbed onto Lena and entangled their legs together to steady her through the orgasm. Lena drank in the cry as Kara pushed past her peak. As Kara's boneless body leaned against her, Lena turned the focus of her slick fingers toward herself. With the sensation of Kara's tongue pressing into her mouth again and a few well-timed strokes, Lena found her own body's rattling release.

They lay atop the sheets catching their breaths. Kara brought each of Lena's tangy fingers to her lips for a kiss. Lena thought about escorting Kara to the guest room lest the maid find their tangled limbs dozing like this in the morning, but she was too addicted to the sight laying before her. 

Kara broke the silence, asking, "Ancona's not that bad, is it? What's there in Venice for you to return to?" 

Lena searched Kara's expression. "I don't have a lot of friends back home, but I have some. I might be able to work out a clemency for Lex and my mother so that they could live in Venice again," Lena said though deep down she knew it wasn't true.

She continued, "I have my trading business. Ancona has been fine, but Venice is the largest trading hub in Europe."

"So, you're biding your time until you can leave?" Kara asked.

"That's been my plan since the beginning. I'm the only one left who can atone for Lex's crimes and redeem the family name. I can't do that in Ancona, and my crews can’t stay here indefinitely." Lena had commissioned Cat to put together a list of soldiers on both sides who had been wounded or killed during the coup, as well as the civilians who had lost their homes to the blazes. Lena had set aside a portion of her revenues so that she could compensate these victims when she returned to Venice. The back contributions to an orphanage she'd supported since she started working for Lionel was stashed into its own savings account. It was absolution by plenary indulgence similar to how she donated art pieces to the Church to excuse her absences from Sunday service. She didn't tell any of this to Kara because that wasn't Lena's style. Even if it wasn't her fault that the world was falling apart around her, she'd gotten used to the idea that it was her responsibility to help pick up the pieces, and for that she needed the cash from her trading empire.

"What is this about?" Lena inquired as she sat up in bed escaping the orbit of Kara's body.

Kara followed suit and turned to face her Lena. "You know exactly what you want in life and every action you take has been for your goals. Soon you'll leave me behind, and I'll be back to grabbing lunch for Ms. Grant."

Lena paused before she said, "You could come with me to Venice."

"This isn't really about Venice or directed at you. Everyone seems to know where they're going besides me. Am I a blacksmith, an assistant to a dressmaker or an apprentice information broker? Because I haven't really found my passion. I'm just counting down the days to I don't know what," Kara muttered.

"You've been a great companion. I may look like I know what I'm doing, but there have been times when I felt like I was drowning in the dark. You've always been there to keep my spirits up. I've never had someone in my life like that," Lena said. "I was lucky to be adopted into a family business that I enjoy. Give it time, and I'm sure you'll find your own calling. It doesn't have to be in your work. My offer still stands for you to accompany me to Venice, by the way."

"I'll think about it," Kara said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strawberries with black pepper (freshly ground from a pepper mill, if possible), grapefruit with salt. Trust me.


	6. Chapter 6

Alex drained the tankard of ale and set it onto the table. She reached for one of the two leather coin pouches secured to her belt. One pouch carried the earnings she sent home to Eliza to help pay for the farmhands and also set aside as a dowry for Kara. She used the other pouch for booze and the occasional woman of the night, which had been a surprise to her after she left home. The latter stash was feeling light to the touch, so it was time to pick up a new job.

Alex flipped a silver coin to the barkeep and strode out of the tavern. The sun blinded her eyes as they adjusted to the brightness. She ambled over to the main plaza where various mercenary companies had pitched tents to serve as recruiting offices. When Alex left home to become a traveling apothecary, she hadn't lied to her family about charting a route between various rural villages to ply her wares. The idea of helping out smaller settlements without the means to support a full-time physician appealed to Alex's sense of compassion. Her actual experience consisted of digging up wild medicinal herbs against the backdrop of buzzing, biting insects and sleeping outdoors exposed to more insects because she was barely earning enough to keep her growling stomach fed on the hikes between villages, let alone afford an inn.

An autumn chill had seeped into the night air when Alex stumbled across a mercenary encampment in the hinterlands. The chief medic promptly bought out her stock of herbs, handing over so many coins she couldn’t fasten her money pouch shut. Noting Alex’s medical knowledge and indifference to the blood-soaked mess of his trauma center, he offered her an actual living wage working as a surgeon for the mercenary company. She agreed without telling Eliza or Kara about her change in profession, because what they didn't know didn't hurt them. Some of the soldiers refused her services because she was a woman, but that was fine with Alex. There were always plenty of limbs to amputate and wounds to stitch up after an engagement so the complainers could move to the back of the line until the pain overcame their pride. Otherwise, the company had accepted her as one of their own like a surrogate family with an always punctual allowance.

She learned how to slice a limb off in a few spare minutes, which was appreciated by her patients when every additional minute felt like an hour as a bonesaw carved through their flesh. The carnage of the surgery table punctuated long periods of marching through mud and sieging down castles, which was the equivalent of watching someone starve in real time. Alex used the dead time to pick up hand to hand and knife combat skills from her fellow soldiers.

They had since landed a multi-year contract to fight in Iberia but wanting to remain close to Eliza and Kara, Alex had parted ways before they set sail. The squabbling between the Italian city-states and the proxy wars between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor supported enough mercenaries to give Alex her pick of her next employer, especially with the letter of recommendation from her former captain.

Alex paced the plaza gauging each band by the state of their equipment (nicked and rusty or polished) and the health of the soldiers (gaunt and bandaged or hearty). Disease and malnutrition killed more soldiers than spears and arrows. Finished with her initial review, she pulled up a seat at an outdoor market stall in the plaza. She ordered a plate of beef skewers to gnaw on as she monitored the atmosphere of each mercenary group when candidates were out of sight. While technically against her previous company’s rules, the rookies assigned to the night watch rotation had operated an ongoing card game to pass the time. Alex had joined in enough that she was confident she could hustle for silver at the card tables for food and lodgings if need be while evaluating her options.

A broad-shouldered man with close cropped hair took a seat across from her at the communal table as she finished the last of the skewers. "There's plenty of open seats," Alex grunted. "Go sit somewhere else." His silk shirt indicated wealth, but Alex wasn't in the mood to scam drinks from a wannabe suitor.

The man folded his hands atop the table. "You've been observing the mercenary bands," he commented. "Might you be looking for a job?"

Alex narrowed her eyes at him as she shifted her hand to brush up against the dagger strapped to her side. "Can't a gal ogle the big, strapping men while she enjoys her meal in peace?"

The man chuckled without letting it reach his eyes. "I've been living around soldiers of fortune for a long time. That look in your eyes says you're not a civilian. I also haven't met too many ladies who wear trousers and lug around a well packed rucksack.

“I'm in need of a bodyguard with some finesse. I was originally evaluating the mercenaries here, but a woman disguised as an attendant might work better. My employer has a daughter whose recklessness has landed her into trouble with certain government authorities. She wants someone to watch over her and pass along regular reports. The young mistress is headstrong, so she may throw a fit if she knows her mother is monitoring her. If you're interested, we can offer you 100 ducats up front and 25 ducats each month thereafter along with travel arrangements to Ancona. The name's Henshaw," he said offering a calloused and battle scar marked hand.

Alex removed her hand from the dagger and reciprocated the handshake. Her ears had perked up at the pay and the assignment in Ancona. She'd have her nest egg saved up if the job lasted six months, and she could even check in on Kara. She had almost dropped everything to hunt her sister down when Eliza sent word Kara had left the farm to look for work in the city—a dress shop from her last correspondence. If this were a scam by this Henshaw, it was a weirdly elaborate one. Alex would have to stop cursing and spitting in public, but she could babysit some entitled brat for that big of a salary. "What type of trouble with the government?" she asked.

Henshaw rubbed at his chin. "She's in no immediate danger that we know of, but the type of predicament that could get her arrested and extradited if she were reckless enough to stir up more trouble. My employer is organizing a resolution as we speak, however, so we don't expect this to be a long-term problem. We'd just feel more comfortable if we had someone in Ancona sooner rather than later. We can provide more details once you've agreed to our proposal."

Alex muttered profanities under her breath. She had a gut feeling this job would go sideways, but she could also already feel the gold in the palm of her hand. "Double the upfront payment and you've got a deal."

 

 

 

Lena looked over the letter from her mother as breakfast sat half uneaten on the dining room table. Lillian had continued to keep Lena waiting for an explanation or apology for the coup that had her sitting in a rented house in Ancona instead of waking up in her own home. In addition to the regular spice order, Lillian now introduced the "Alexandra" standing before Lena as a ward of the prominent Vandross family who needed experience in running a household and attending to a lady before settling down in marriage. Lillian had requested Lena look after Alexandra as a favor for dear family friends. 

The Vandross account had been steady clients throughout the years and taken up a notable portion of her recent shipments to Greece. The pieces clicked into place in Lena’s mind. Lillian had finagled a purchase and potentially a loan from the Vandross in exchange for this favor. Lillian had also talked up in her letter the bachelor heir of the Vandross family indicating Lillian may have been negotiating a marriage contract between Lena and the other man, or at least feigning interest until she extracted what she needed.

Lena was confident she could extricate herself from any future marriage proposal. She'd stomped on the feet of the last suitor from House d'Elba during a masquerade ball and sent him scurrying away in retreat. For now, she had to reassure the woman in front of her who was caught in the crossfire of her mother's schemes.

"So, Alexandra—," Lena said.

"Alex, if you don't mind," the other woman interjected.

"So, Alex, you're looking to get married soon?"

"Yes, very much so," she answered as she plastered on a smile. "I'm in your care until then."

"What skills do you have for running a household?" Lena asked.

Alex wrung her hands. "I've kept up with my stitching and sewing. I can help you get dressed in the morning and at night. I used to braid my sister's hair."

Lena supposed she could have ordered Alex to scrub the floors until she cried her way home, but Lena didn't possess the practical cruelty in her heart. "Can you read and write?"

Alex nodded.

"Good. I'll teach you the spice trade then," Lena announced. "Business has picked up so I could use more clerks. I'm sure you're tired from the journey, however. I’ll have someone take your things up to your room so you can rest up for the morning."

"If it's all the same to you, I wouldn't mind starting as soon as possible," Alex said.

"Then at least join me for breakfast. The cook can prepare some more eggs and toast," Lena replied. Alex hesitated before pulling up a chair. They passed the rest of the meal in silence, Lena noticing Alex sneaking looks at her between bites but declining to say a word out of turn.

Alex kept a few steps behind Lena as they walked down to the docks together. Lena slowed her pace, and Alex matched her to keep a constant distance away from Lena. Alex moved with a straight back and her chest pushed forward but tilted her chin to the ground as if she thought keeping her head down was expected of a lady's attendant. Lena rolled her eyes and hooked her elbow into the crook of Alex's arm. "You're not going to see anything I show you standing five feet behind me," Lena said.

Alex startled at the touch before following Lena's lead. "Sorry," she muttered.

"No need to apologize," Lena answered. "I know we just met, but I think we can make the best of the situation if we get to know each other. I've only been in Ancona for a few months so it's nice to have another outsider to confide in."

The two women entered the two-story warehouse stacked with rows of crates and burlap sacks. An ocean breeze had accompanied their morning walk, but inside a dozen smells competed for their attention. Longshoremen hustled about hauling the cargo back onto the ships for delivery.

Lena said, "I'm sure you're familiar with spices living with the Vandross family, but I thought it would be instructive to put a visual to how much product we transport and dispel some of the hearsay about where spices come from."

Lena guided Alex to the sacks piled by the entryway representing the equivalent of multiple months of Alex's previous salary. Lena unhooked her arm from Alex's to untie the strings securing the bags and pull out handfuls of the peppercorns. "We'll start with pepper, which is the cornerstone of our revenues. We have here green, black, and white peppercorns. People think they're separate spices, but they're all the same berry at different stages of maturity. Greens are harvested fresh off the vine and have the mildest flavor. Blacks have been allowed to mature. Whites are black peppercorns with their outer casings boiled off to induce the strongest flavor. Here, have a smell," Lena offered.

Alex looked at Lena for a moment before acquiescing. She leaned forward to sniff from the middle bag of black peppercorns. "It almost smells fruity," she said.

Lena grinned. "The flavor reaches its peak right after its been milled, though if you let ground pepper sit for too long, it can get musty and cause sneezing."

Lena retied the sacks and moved toward a stack of crates. "It was a great coup for the Romans to discover that pepper was grown on the monsoon drenched Malabar coast in western India, though nowadays the route is shut off to us. When it comes to the origin of the nutmeg in these crates, all we have are whispered rumors about the Spice Islands in the Far East. Just as the spice trade supports Venice, Ancona, and all the other merchant republics in Europe, fortunes are made in trading hubs all across the Indian ocean. If only we could overcome the cut throat secrecy and the pesky geography, we'd be able to get at it too," Lena said with a wry smile

She plucked out a nutmeg and offered it to Alex to examine. "I have some cider spiced with nutmeg and cloves in my office that we can try a little later. Shall we head over so I can start showing you the books?" 

The pair traded the warped planks of the docks for the financial district’s cobblestones. Lena tried pointing out the landmarks of Ancona but found herself still unfamiliar with the city after all this time. Kara would have been a more thorough tour guide she thought. Nearing the office, they heard a scuffle break out down the street. Looking over, they witnessed a man shoving a woman down to the ground and sprinting off with her coin purse. He looked to be charging toward Lena and Alex before escaping down a side alley.

Alex ran after the brigand leaving Lena dumbfounded before she followed after her attendant. As she pumped her legs, Lena tried unsheathing the knife from her garter, but there was no need. She turned the corner into the alleyway in time to see Alex leaping through the air to tackle the thief around the waist. He drove face first into the ground as she wrestled his arm around his back until he was screaming for mercy. The commotion attracted the city watch who apprehended the criminal.

"What were you thinking?" Lena asked as Alex examined the state of her gown. Mud was smeared all down her front. Lena grimaced as Alex wiped her hands on the few remaining unspoiled parts of the fabric.

"I was chasing after the thief," Alex offered. “I couldn’t stand by and not react.”

"Your first instinct is to run toward the danger?" Lena said. "You're an interesting person, Alex. Maybe I should have you working security instead of looking after my books." They returned briefly to Lena's house so Alex could hop into a bath and change into a fresh dress before finally making it to the office. Alex ate lunch at her desk to carve out a few more minutes to review the ledgers. As sunset approached, Alex suggested they break out the candles to keep going. For once, Lena was the first one to call it a night and drag Alex back home for dinner, though that didn't stop Alex from continuing to pepper Lena with questions.

At around ten o'clock, Alex finally retired to the guest room situated directly across the hallway from Lena's room. Lena bid her goodnight and lit an oil lamp on her desk to begin outlining her schedule for the next day, including Alex's training curriculum. A grin tugged at her cheeks remembering her nightly routine of dictating notes to Jess even as she puttered around in her nightgown preparing for bed. As a series of yawns inspired Lena to put the papers away, something creaked from outside the door. 

She grabbed the lamp and stepped out into the hallway. Seeing nothing but flickering shadows, the spice trader held her ear to Alex's door where she heard shuffling about. Lena knocked softly. Muffled profanity greeted her from the other side followed by the stamping of feet. Alex opened the door looking somewhat out of breath.

"Is everything alright?" Lena inquired with an amused smile.

Alex blushed and rubbed at the back of her neck. "I had trouble falling asleep," she replied eyes askance.

The flame from the lamp shone into the room onto a pillow and sheets on the ground. "So, you tried your luck on the floor?" Lena observed as her smile grew bolder.

Alex coughed. "The bed's too soft. Not that I'm complaining; it'll take some time for me to get used to it is all."

"Would you like a book to read? I find that always helps me nod off when I'm under a spell of insomnia." Upon the affirmative, she led the other woman back to her room where Lena had been rebuilding her library. Alex thumbed through the titles on the bookshelf before picking the medical encyclopedia. Lena chuckled to herself. She considered the selection more suited for showcasing the owner's myriad interests than for actual perusal. "You are an interesting one, Alex.”

Lena woke up early the next morning to attend a meeting with Cat Grant leaving Alex in the care of one of her other clerks. In truth, the meeting wasn't even set for that early. Cat was typically the last one to arrive into the office in the morning and the first one to take off in the afternoon. Cat took her work home with her but the point was to brandish to her employees her authority to come and go as she pleased.

Lena was trying to catch Kara. They hadn't spoken at length since their night together the previous week. Kara had explained she needed time to think about the future of their relationship. Lena had dropped by the blacksmith quarter on Sunday, but the forge was cold to the touch. In the past, Lena found it all too easy to slip into a pattern of burying herself in work to forget her other woes. She'd since grown accustomed to Kara's dropping by unannounced. A day without one of their conversations felt hollowed out and without spark. Lena loitered around the fabric samples as another apprentice information broker, Siobhan, gave her the side-eye. The door chime announced Kara's arrival into the shop just as it became time for Lena to meet with Cat. They exchanged greetings but little else as Kara led the way into Cat's office.

"The old farts on the city council are clapping their hands like giddy schoolboys at the booming business and the turmoil in Venice. It's unbearable," Cat said as Lena took a seat and Kara stood by the door. "Another message arrived from Venice."

Lena pursed her lips as she read over the contents of the proposal. The Doge offered one last chance to return to Venice in exchange for mercy for herself and Lex. The cynic in her said that as soon as she reached for that ray of hope to recover some part of the brother she once knew, she'd be sitting in an adjoining jail cell.

"If that were the only letter from Venice, I might have almost suggested you comply for a chance to save your brother. I know a thing or two about lost family and regrets," Cat commented. "But that's not the only letter. They offered me 5,000 ducats for your capture if you didn't voluntarily return. They've got plans for you if they're willing to go that far."

Cat passed over a second roll of parchment containing their offer to the information broker. Lena gripped the document with shaking hands as she tried to take in the words. If she made a play to outbid the Doge, her fleet would sit under Cat's thumb for years as she meted out the payments. The floorboards creaked underneath Kara and for a split second, Lena considered Cat would betray her right then with Kara as an accomplice. Her neck ached to look Kara in the face, but she dared not take her eyes off of Cat.

Lena steeled her expression. Her dagger burned hot against her hip. "What do you say to their offer?"

"It's an unseemly amount, utterly gauche," Cat remarked. "I told you when we first met that I deal in favors, not money. If after all I've done for you, you still think I would sell out those under my protection for something as pedestrian as gold coins, then you and Venice have both underestimated my principles."

Lena let out an involuntarily sigh of relief as her shoulders relaxed. "What now? If Venice is throwing open the city coffers, they're getting serious about ending my threat to the established order rather than trying to negotiate a peace that leaves me walking free." 

"It'll be a contest between who blinks first. We need to light a fire under Venice about the current situation and force them into a desperation move," Cat said as she fiddled with a quill. "The current Doge doesn't want to hear a word about your professed innocence, so I don't think you can return while he's in power. We need something like a scandal to bring in someone fresh. They’ll blame all the turmoil on their predecessor and will be looking to start their term with a triumph, such as negotiating an end to this dispute. Are there any rumors of the Doge accepting kickbacks or raiding the treasury you can think of? His office has its fingers all over the spice trade."

"I've already relayed everything I know to Kara," Lena replied. Folding her hands across the desk, she continued, "Another way he would leave the office would be if he passed away, or at least took ill enough to retire."

Lena left the statement hanging in the air. Cat set down her quill and looked the other woman in the eye. "I can't condone it, but I can put out some feelers in Venice if you're willing to bookmark funds to find friends in high and low places."

Lena swallowed hard. "Let me know if you can lay the groundwork. I'm not ready to make my decision yet, but I would like to keep my options open. Options are valuable as they say in my business."

"I'll stall for time by telling Venice you're considering their offer. I'm leaving with my son for a retreat to my villa in the countryside for a few weeks, but I'll have my staff start reaching out to the Venetian trading houses to see if they're amenable to a change in regime. Taking someone out of the equation is the easy part; navigating the power vacuum is the headache."

Lena nodded and rose to leave. Kara followed her out and grabbed Lena's arm as she exited the office. "You can't be serious about plotting someone's murder. This is exactly what got your brother imprisoned and you living in exile," Kara said.

Lena yanked her arm free and stepped away from Kara. "This isn't a game, Kara. I'm willing to do what it takes to stay alive so that I can restore my family's name. If Venice is willing to pay 5,000 ducats for Cat to dislodge me from Ancona, then I'm going to react by striking back. It's not like you're innocent in this either. This is your employer partnering up with me to do the deed."

The comment left Kara speechless as Lena left the dress shop.

 

 

 

 

"Lena Luthor?" the man asked.

Lena examined the half dozen men that had appeared as Alex and she were walking to the trading house. Chainmail peeked out from beneath their tunics, and they carried swords at their sides. "Who's asking?" Lena replied.

"You're under arrest per the authority of Venice. If you'll please come with us," the man said. As he moved to grab hold of Lena, Alex smashed the heel of her palm into his nose. He stumbled back with blood gushing from his nostrils. Another of the Venetians rushed forward, but Alex already had a dagger in hand to slash at his wrist. He jumped back yelping in pain and holding onto the cut. A third assailant tried restraining Alex from behind, so she sent an elbow into his face and swept his legs from underneath him. A swift kick to the stomach kept him down. Lena pulled out her own dagger and stood back to back with Alex.

The remaining Venetians unsheathed their swords and inched away looking to use the superior reach of their weapons to their advantage. Alex switched the grip of the dagger in her hand and flung it into the torso of the nearest attacker. His armor blunted most of the force, but the dagger still sent him to his knees clutching at his chest. Alex retrieved the sword of the man she had knocked to the ground and held the blade before her in a defensive stance.

"Fire, fire! Alert the city watch!" Lena bellowed out. Window shutters clattered open as the neighborhood residents looked outside to examine the early morning commotion and scan for signs of smoke. The leader of the band while still holding onto his bloodied face ordered them to grab their wounded comrades and flee before the authorities could arrive.

Lena rested her hands on her knees as she tried to control her breathing. "Are you alright?" Alex asked. "That was quick thinking to raise the alarm because I'm hopeless with a sword."

"You’re damn good with a knife and your fists though," Lena replied as she stared at the blood smeared across the cobblestone road. The smell of iron in the air almost made her gag. "Have you ever had your life flash before your eyes, and you could only think about how much more you had to say and do?"

"All the time," Alex said as she sheathed the dagger into a holster around her ankle.

"I have something I have to tell someone," Lena said. "I'll meet you back at the office."

"What if there if the Venetians come back or there are more of them in hiding?" Alex called out, but Lena was already striding away.

Lena opened the door to the bakery. Housewives were packed inside picking up fresh loaves for the day. Lena pushed through the crowd and past the counter ignoring the baker’s admonitions. She climbed the stairs and beat a tattoo on Kara's bedroom door with the flat of her palm. She had hoped to catch her before she left for the dress shop.

Kara swung the door open, and Lena almost tumbled in mid-knock. Kara caught her by the shoulders. "Lena! You look like you've seen a ghost," Kara said as she pulled Lena inside and closed the door behind them.

"I don't think I've said this to anyone before but I think I love you, Kara," Lena stammered out. "The only times I've been happy in Ancona have been by your side. I meant what I said when I asked you to come with me to Venice. I'll provide everything you need.”

"And do what?" Kara said. "Venice is your city, and if I follow after you, I'll only be a footnote to your story instead of writing my own."

"Tell me what you want then."

"I don't know what I want," Kara replied as she paced the room. "My sister went out to explore the world, so I thought I would claim my own grand adventure in Ancona. I found an apprenticeship with an information broker, and you came along with your stories of the Far East and international intrigue. Witnessing your determination to take on the world made me feel a part of something special, but now it's like I'm a passive observer. I'm trying to make the most of my parents' sacrifice, but have you ever thought you were destined for something greater in life?"

"Screw the grand plans and whatever comes tomorrow. Just kiss me now," Lena said as she pulled Kara in for a kiss. Kara reciprocated the passion and was even kneading Lena's ass before she put her hand around Lena's hips to push her way.

"Are you still set on assassinating the Doge?" Kara asked.

"Now more than ever," Lena replied with hard set eyes.

Kara closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against Lena's. "Then I don't think I can be together with someone who's so willing to take another life."

 

 

 

Fresh from a bath, Lena idly surveyed her garden through the window of her sitting room. A week had passed since Venice had sent its thugs to apprehend her. She had hired a security detail to guard her home, and the Anconan government had lodged a complaint against the rival republic for infringing on its jurisdiction, but otherwise there had been no further developments. Lena could only wait for Cat's return from her sojourn in the countryside to bring news of the plot's advancement. She would have normally dived into work, but since her encounter with Kara she'd rather mope and try to figure out where the two of them stood than burn the midnight oil. Thinking about Kara as Lena had soaked in the hot water and run her hands over her body left Lena feeling dirty afterward.

Lena only vaguely noted the maid answering the door. She was more aware of the maid's shouts and the footfall of boots into her foyer. A group of mercenaries armored in leather breastplates fanned out across her sitting room. In their center stood a woman with a familiar face.

"Hello, mother," Lena said folding her arms across her chest.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise early release of the final chapter! I’m away this weekend so posting it ahead of the usual time.

The leader of the mercenaries stepped forward to ask about the entryways and exits to the house. At first, Lena thought the query had been directed toward her, but the response came from Alex's lips. Lena gaped at her attendant who had come down from her room and snapped to military attention. The mercenary leader nodded at Alex and barked at his squad to secure the estate’s perimeter.

"Lena, it's good to see you alive and in good health despite your best efforts at antagonizing Venice," Lillian said standing opposite from her daughter.

"Alive and well despite your lack of effort in warning me about the coup, which is also the reason why Venice and I are currently at each other's throats," Lena retorted. She would deal with Alex later. "I'm the one left shouldering all the blame for your actions."

"I heard from Alexandra that she rescued you from a kidnapping attempt. That's at least one thing you should be thankful to me for since I hired her to keep you out of trouble," Lillian said. Alex stiffened at the mention and stared straight ahead avoiding Lena's gaze. "As for the rebellion, Lex didn't think you needed to know about his plans. By the time I realized the tide of battle had turned against us, it was too late to send a messenger to you. It wasn't easy for me either. I had to escape the Doge's lackeys in the thick of it all as the thought that they had already captured Lex racked my mind."

"Do you have anything else to say for our first reunion in months after your ambitions almost got me killed?" Lena asked.

"Why don't you offer me a seat, and we'll talk it over like civilized people?" Lillian replied. "Don't be stubborn. Otherwise you won't hear about the plan I already have in motion to rescue Lex and restore our rightful place in Venice."

Lena's lips formed a line. She gestured Lillian toward the couch and requested the maid retrieve a bottle of wine from the cellar. "Let's start from the beginning before we get into your latest scheme. I could never entirely comprehend why you and Lex launched a coup in the first place. What more did you two want from life that you needed to control all of Venice? If Lex wanted political power, he could have campaigned for a seat on the Great Council. Otherwise we had a business that produced more gold than Midas and an invitation to every important gala to fill up the days."

“Your lack of vision always set you apart from your brother. We are only one of many trading houses in Venice, and Venice itself is only one of many rivals jostling to control the flow of wealth in the Mediterranean,” Lillian said with hardened eyes. “If we are to establish a lasting legacy for the Luthor name and secure Venice’s future, we need one of our own to claim the seat of power. Nobody else would have tossed out the narrow-minded merchants we’ve been electing as Doge for generation after generation if Lex hadn't taken the initiative. Our family has faced setbacks, but we still have the opportunity to save your brother and Venice. Lex should have informed you of his original plan; I’ll take responsibility for that mistake. I'm welcoming you into the fold now because I need your cooperation to make things right. After all is said and done, I’ve chosen you to formally take control of the Luthor trading house."

One half of Lena ground her teeth at the thought that this was as close to a mea culpa as she was going to get. The other side of her hummed at the prospect that Lillian would anoint her to supersede Lex in inheriting the trading house. She was four years old again looking for Lillian’s validation. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I’m listening."

Lillian smirked. "The Venetian chokehold on the spice trade and the trade concessions our diplomats have extracted from Constantinople has wounded the pride of the Greek nobility. Compared to your lengthy trade war of attrition, I’ve convinced these families to put up the funding to hire mercenaries to take Venice by storm. We'll break Lex out from his cell and overthrow the Doge. I've pledged our ships and spice inventory as collateral to my backers to ensure we would move forward with this endeavor. Lex will rule Venice as the new Doge and use the city treasury to repay the Greek loans while renegotiating trade terms more favorable to them. You will manage the day to day affairs of the trading house. The latest Venetian move against you has accelerated our timeline, so we'll all sit here together in Ancona on our utmost guard while our armies gather."

Lena blanched at her mother's words. "I don't know what I expected, but you've gone as insane as Lex," she croaked out. "You would drench the canals of Venice in blood for your greed and ego."

"I thought you would have jumped at the chance to rise to the top of the trading business and return to Venice. You can either partner with me or not, but either way the outcome will be same. It's up to you how painful you want the experience to be," Lillian said.

"For the record, I’ve already been managing our trading house and dealing with Venice all on my own while Lex has been sitting in prison and you’ve been plotting further treason. The ships and spices weren’t yours to sign away. Has the thought of the people who died in the first rebellion ever kept you up at night or do you close your eyes without a care in the world? That was a surprise strike in the night. The whole city will burn if you launch a full-fledged invasion. I was there when the citizens cheered at Lex's defeat, so I say with authority that the republic will resist a Luthor usurper with all its might."

"We can rebuild from the ashes as long as we control the spice. Any sacrifices will be for a greater purpose," Lillian said. "Will you support me?"

Lena sneered in disgust. Lillian commanded, "Escort her to her room. Henshaw and his men will take over security from here. No more talking with Cat Grant either. I'll admit it was a brilliant move to connect with her, but I'm overseeing our strategy now."

Alex touched Lena on the shoulder. "Come on, Lena. Let's go."

Lena took one last look at her mother before marching up the stairs to her bedroom. She glared at Alex as her former attendant shut the door behind them. "I wouldn't have pegged you as the type of person to help kick off a war for the feel of gold between your fingers."

"If I can provide a better future for my sister and my mother, I try not to think about the messes I have to wade through to achieve my goals. This isn't my first assignment as a mercenary. I'm used to blood," Alex replied.

"Not like this. Venice is the greatest city in Europe after Constantinople. After my mother is through, it'll be a column of smoke on the water. What experience do you have as a mercenary anyways?" Lena said.

Alex folded her hands behind her back. "I was a surgeon on half a dozen campaigns. I did my best to save people's lives on the operating table."

"Then help me save lives now," Lena pleaded.

"How?"

"I need to escape and warn Venice," Lena answered.

Alex shook her head. "It's too risky, there’s nothing in it for me, and I doubt you have an exit plan after you’re out the door."

"Then pass along a message for me if you won't help me escape. My mother thinks you're one of the hired help, so you can come and go as you please. Cat Grant is out of the city, but I know where one of her apprentices lives. There's a bakery—"

"I know. I followed you there from a distance after Venice's kidnapping attempt," Alex said cutting Lena off.

"Was that before or after you reported those events to my mother?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "This isn't the time to be sniping at me. Are you asking for my help or not?"

Lena chewed her tongue before continuing, "Pass along a message that I'm willing to negotiate a peace with Venice in exchange for turning in my mother. Venice's move forced Lillian's hand. She's not familiar with Ancona and has limited resources here, which means we can trap her. If I hand her over, Venice will be mollified and there'll be no one to organize the expedition against the city."

"You're selling your mother down the river awfully fast," Alex commented.

"She left me to hang for her crimes. She wants me to bury my nose in the accounting books while she sells out Venice and hands over the remnants to my brother. I'm only returning the favor. Will you help me or not? All you have to do is find someone a few streets over, and you can prevent more bloodshed than you could ever save with your surgical tools."

Alex grit her teeth. "Hand over your knife so you don't do something stupid while I'm gone, like trying to break out on your own."

Lena pulled the blade from her garter and passed it over. "Could you also tell Cat's apprentice that I love her? I told her that day, but she didn't give me a response."

Alex nodded and exited the room. Lena placed hope in Cat’s words that gold alone created weak bonds, so that Alex would betray Lillian. She also thought in the back of her mind that if Alex ignored her, Lena would just have to turn a blind eye to her mother’s dealings in order to realize her dreams of controlling the trading house back home in Venice.

 

 

 

Kara awoke to someone banging on the bakery door. She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and peered out the window into the darkness trying to make out their identity. Only discerning the outline of a solitary figure, she grabbed her blacksmith hammer and made her way down the stairs.

Holding the hammer in the air ready to strike, Kara called out, "Who is it?"

"I have a message from Lena Luthor," came the response from the other side of the door. "She's in danger and needs your help."

Kara cracked open the door. "Alex?! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed.

"I could ask you the same thing!" her sister responded. "Lena Luthor loves you?!"

"What if she does? It's none of your business," Kara said as she ushered Alex inside. She plunked the hammer down onto the bakery counter and stoked the embers of the hearth.

"What is Lena Luthor to you?" Alex asked as she warmed up by the fire. She had changed into trousers and displayed her combat knife openly on her belt. "I turn my back to you, and you run away from the farm to get tangled up in kidnapping plots and coups. You're supposed to be sewing dresses. After this is all over I'm dragging you back to mom and handing over the remainder of your dowry so that you can settle down."

"You don't get to ambush me in the middle of the night talking about a dangerous message and then lecture me on keeping secrets. You're supposed to be hiking up some mountain scavenging for medicinal herbs to sell. What are you doing here in Ancona?"

"Answer my questions first."

"You're the one who showed up on my doorstep unannounced."

Alex rubbed the bridge of her nose and paced the room. "I'll come clean if you do." She recounted how she fell into mercenary work and was hired by Lillian Luthor to guard Lena, who was now sitting under house arrest while her mother planned an invasion of Venice.

Kara stared slack jawed at her sister, and then punched her hard in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Alex grimaced as she rubbed at the sore spot. "I can't believe you've gotten even stronger since I last saw you. I've said my part; now explain your side of the story. Do you have any idea how much danger Lena Luthor's family is mixed up in? I had to fight off half a dozen goons Venice had hired to kidnap her the other day. And she's declaring her love for you?"

Kara looked askance at those words. A light blush sprouted on her cheeks before she turned back to her sister and pointed a finger into her chest. "Did you know that Lillian was going to start a war?"

"Of course not," Alex huffed. "I can't believe you would think that. My previous company fought for asshole, land hungry nobles at times, but my responsibility was to save as many of the people they brought to my first aid tent as I could. This job was only to supposed to be about keeping some heiress out of danger and reporting back to her mommy. Knowing what I know now, it doesn't pay anywhere near enough for all this hassle. You should know that this was all to secure your future instead of having to live above a bakery and getting involved with these shady characters. "

"I never asked you to put together a dowry for me or give up your claim to the farm. I'll always be grateful for the home Jeremiah and Eliza welcomed me into, but I also enjoy where I live now and what I do for a living," Kara replied.

"Which is what exactly? I’ve been spending all my free time searching for you in dress shops without any luck," Alex said as she leaned forward to give her sister her signature stare down.

Kara set her jaw and remained silent for a moment. "I do sew dresses, but I also compile dossiers for an international information broker. Lena's my client, and I've been helping her maneuver against Venice on behalf of my boss. We’ve also made out and maybe a little more than that."

Alex groaned as she buried her head in her hands. “I was this close to tucking into bed and avoiding all of this tonight.”

Kara squeaked out, "So now that all our cards are on the table, tell me Lena's message."

Alex took a breath and said, "She wants Cat Grant, who I'm assuming is your boss, to broker a meeting between Venice and herself. Lena is turning her mother in to stop the invasion and clear her name."

"I want to talk to Lena in person," Kara said.

"I had to climb down from a two-story window using only a twisted-up bedsheet tied around my bedpost to get here. I'll barely be able to get back in to Lena's place undetected on my own let alone sneak you in too. Need I remind you that she's under heavy guard by experienced mercenaries on watch for Venice or anyone else trying to make a move against the house?"

"Figure out a way. I believe you about not knowing Lillian's plans beforehand, but Lena wouldn't be in jeopardy if it weren't for your snooping. If you want me to fix this mess, I need to first talk with her in person."

"What if we just ran away from Ancona tonight and forget everything that happened? Let someone else pick up the pieces,” Alex proposed. She relented upon seeing the look of determination in Kara’s eyes. “Fine, we’ll do it your way, but if mom ever finds out what we were up to, you're taking the fall while I go hop on the first boat to Scandinavia."

 

 

 

Lena heard a light rapping at her bedroom door. Unable to fall asleep, she had been seated at her desk staring blankly at the pages of her ledger. Upon opening the door to reveal her two visitors, Lena spat out a profanity before rushing them inside. She hissed, "You were supposed to pass the message to Kara, not bring her into the lion’s den."

"Alex did give me your message, but I told her I wouldn't talk with Ms. Grant until I discussed it with you," Kara whispered back. Alex only shook her head as she threw her cloak against the floor and crammed it against the bottom of the door to muffle their voices. "Venice will execute your mother for treason as soon as you turn her over."

"Which is what she's guilty of," Lena replied. "She understood the gravity of her crimes against Venice, so her hangman will only be carrying out justice."

"Don't you want to believe that everyone has a chance for redemption no matter how minuscule or far down the line? I'm not saying she shouldn't be punished for her actions, but there's no turning back after this. You can cut ties with your mother; having a hand in her death just seems too far."

"I'm sure they'll call in a priest to administer last rites before her execution. She might even listen to him," Lena answered. At Kara's glare, she elaborated in an even toned voice, "Venice and my trading company are at an impasse, and my grand victory so far has been to pay my employees on time thanks to the help of blood money. An invasion force is also assembling to burn down my hometown. The source of and solution to all my problems is my mother."

Kara grasped Lena by the shoulders. Lena shifted under the touch but made no move to brush off Kara's hands. Alex rolled her eyes. Kara said, "Not a day goes by without me thinking about the home that I lost. I don't want the Venice of your memories to fade away either. I'll pass along your message to Ms. Grant so don’t think of this as an ultimatum, but I find myself wondering if I want you in my life if this is your first course of action. I've watched you work for months without rest to turn around your trading house from a single ship on the run to something that's bending the spice trade toward Ancona. Don’t take the easy route now; there has to be an alternative you can think of that doesn’t involve escorting your mother to the gallows."

Lena’s shoulders slumped. The trader stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Kara. She breathed in Kara’s scent which brought to mind the fires of the blacksmith’s forge, the flaky crusts of a dozen different pastries, and the clear water of a secluded river in the foothills. If she sent Kara out the door to carry out the original plan, the nightmare of the past few months might finally cease. To once more wake up to Kara’s sleeping face required living up to Kara’s ideals and the corresponding sacrifices.

She thought of finally sailing back into Venice’s harbor to reunite her crew with their families and her stealing away from the celebration to float down a canal with a wineskin at her side. She imagined the rustling of paper in the trading house and the hush of the Luthor mansion’s emptied rooms. Lena pictured catching Jess up on all the details of her exile abroad. Assuaging Kara’s wish risked throwing all that away, but she also thought about whether her actions to return to Venice would honor Jess’s bravery in getting her out.

Lena cleared her throat. "Tell Venice I want to meet but leave out any mentions of Lillian. I'll try to think of some other proposal for peace."

"You promise to try your best?" Kara asked.

"I promise," Lena answered. Alex left to distract the sentries while Kara shimmied back down the bedsheet ladder set up in Alex's room.

Alex circled back to Lena's room after making sure her sister had escaped without detection. "What's your fallback plan?"

"I have no idea," Lena admitted as she lay her exhausted body atop the covers of her bed.

"I could shove Lillian off a balcony and make it look like an accident. I'm sure Venice won't care between receiving her living, breathing body or her corpse as long as she's out of the way. Kara might even believe it was truly divine intervention."

Lena looked up in thought before shaking her head. "I’ve daydreamed about that so many times, but I can't go back on my promise to Kara that easily. What happened to you not wanting to get involved?"

"You dragged my sister into this mess, so I might as well see that she makes it through. Try not to put her in any danger or break her heart because I will come after you."

 

 

 

Alex visited the bakery daily after giving Kara plenty of time to leave for the dress shop so that they wouldn’t be seen together. Kara would leave a note behind on her pillow with updates on Cat’s efforts to contact Venice. On days without news, she scribbled words of encouragement for Lena. Alex committed the contents of the notes to memory before burning the paper. She lingered in her sister’s room examining the objects and tidying up before returning downstairs to purchase a loaf of bread for her cover story.  

Alex relayed Kara’s messages when she brought Lena her meals. She would find the trader pacing the rooming mumbling ideas to herself with crumpled up sheets littering the floor.

A week from Lillian's arrival in Ancona, Kara’s note indicated a time and place for the meeting with Venice.

 

 

 

Mother and daughter sat at opposite ends of the dining table silently consuming their breakfast of trout grilled in olive oil and garlic. Henshaw's boots thudded on the hardwood floor as he walked up to Lillian. He leaned down to whisper something in her ear. Lena smirked as she caught snippets of "fire" and "docks." Her mother threw her napkin onto the table and said, "I'm heading down to the warehouses with some of the guards. Try not to attract too much trouble while I'm away."

"Yes, mother," Lena answered. She finished her breakfast in peace savoring each bite. Alex joined her at the table slicing apart an apple with her knife. As Lena put her fork down, Alex wrapped a napkin around the knuckles of her right hand. They walked toward the front of the house.

"Where are you going?" the guard asked as he squared his shoulders.

Lena cocked her head. "I know I'm to remain within the confines of this house, but surely my mother's edict doesn't extend to missing Sunday service. You can come along if you like. You might even learn a thing or two."

Lena stepped forward to move past the guard. While he turned to bar the way, Alex decked him with a punch across the jaw. She let the napkin tied across her fist fall across his splayed body. As the two women strolled outside past the courtyard, a contingent of the city watch entered the house to detain the remainder of Lillian’s contingent.

Kara was already on her feet as the door chime announced the arrival of Lena and Alex. She ran up to Lena and gave her a squeeze of the hand as she led them through the empty dress shop to Cat's office. Lena paused at the door to collect her composure. "The Venetian diplomat is already inside, along with Ms. Grant who's stepping in as a neutral mediator," Kara said. She turned to hug her sister. "I'll see you in a bit. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Kara opened the door for Lena. From inside, Max Lord stood up from his seat and straightened out his coat. "Lena, so good to see you. The social scene hasn't been the same without the annual Luthor masquerade ball to look forward to."

Lena squeezed down on the handshake as hard as she could. “The city must have truly become unrecognizable in my absence if the government entrusted you with guarding the henhouse of their interests.”

Max replied, "My guards have roughed up the tax collector at times, but I’m not one to refuse when the republic acknowledges they need my help. Cat here tells me you're ready to negotiate, but she's been stingy with the full details. What have you got for me?" 

As they took their seats at the table, Kara poured out another glass of wine which Lena left untouched. "I admit no wrongdoing or involvement in Lex's coup, and you give me and my entire crew in Ancona full immunity from prosecution. In exchange, I'll turn over my client lists and sell you my entire merchant fleet along with all the spices I currently have stored in inventory. I'll even give you a once in a generation discount."  She passed over a sheet of paper with a price on it.

Max laughed out loud. "You'll walk away from it all, just like that?"

"Just like that," Lena said as she snapped her fingers, though the smile on her facade almost faltered. “A person on their deathbed would give up everything they own for a chance to rectify their regrets. I’d rather start with a clean slate now than walk forty years down that path. Agree to my proposal, and you'll never have to worry about the Luthors stirring up trouble in the spice trade ever again."

"There has to be more of a catch," Max replied. "We’re not in this line of work because we cave easily. I may not be Cat Grant, but I know Lillian has been up to something in Greece, which is a pretty big coincidence since that's where you've been doing the majority of your business these days."

Cat testified, "I can vouch that Lillian Luthor has no part in this deal. She's been holding Lena under house arrest, but my friends in the city watch are detaining Lillian as we speak thanks to Lena's inside information."

"I can vouch for that, as well," Kara interjected.

"But now that I have Lillian in my hands, I won't hand her over to you." Lena noted. She’d created the power vacuum; now Lena had to figure out what to do with it. "My mother goes into exile."

Max leaned forward in his best attempt at an intimidating aura. "I’m glad to hear that you’ve repudiated your mother, but Lillian's continued survival poses an existential threat to Venice. She knows our trading network inside and out. All she needs to do is whisper into any gout-ridden king's ear about riches beyond belief, and our republic could be facing a full-blown war."

The corner of Lena's lips twitched. She replied, "I propose we secret her away to a secluded nunnery where they take their vows of poverty very seriously. She won't be a threat, and it's still punishment for her crimes. I'm offering you an entire spice empire in exchange for the life of one woman. Otherwise we can keep slugging it out in this trade war of ours. I admit I have a low chance of winning, but I can let every major and minor power in Europe know that you’ll be emptying your treasury to bring me down. It doesn’t even have to be true; the smell of blood in the air should be enough to attract the hyenas looking to take Venice down a notch."

Max pursed his lips as if chewing on something unpleasant. "How isolated of a nunnery are you suggesting?"

"I hear there are some windswept places in the Hebrides in Scotland."

"I was thinking Iceland," Max proposed.

"That's acceptable to me," Lena said. "Though if something tragic 'accidentally' happens to her or myself, for that matter, Cat here will release copies of all my client and supplier lists to our competitors in Ancona, Pisa, Genoa, and Constantinople."

Max grinned at Cat, who rolled her eyes at the leer. Lena sipped on the wine. As Kara moved to top off the glass, she gave a squeeze of Lena's shoulder. The trader's heart fluttered. "You've delayed my brother's execution as a bargaining chip. I'm here to cash you out. I'll write letters of introductions to my suppliers in Alexandria and inform the Venetian government of all the local tax concessions the Luthors have been privy to. In exchange, Lex's execution is stayed indefinitely, and he remains in prison for the rest of his days."

"Lex has been getting on the Doge’s nerves since he was a snot-nosed brat," Max snorted. "My hands are tied here. I don't know if I can do anything for you."

"Try," she commanded as she glared at him. "This is a package deal. If Lex is executed, I'll keep operating in Ancona until I’m reduced to dust. The Doge's faction has been whining since the days of my father about incorporating the Luthor ships into the government trade fleet. You'd have to feed forests into the Arsenal for years to build what I'm selling you now. A legacy making deal has dropped into your lap if you’re enough of a trader to claim it. I'll even kick in a restitution fund for those harmed by Lex."

Max drained the last of his wine as she waited for his response. "I'll have to convince the Great Council and the Doge, but I think we can make this work. For your own sake, however, I suggest you don’t show your face in Venice at least until the Doge’s great-grandchildren have died of old age."

Lena looked like she’d been slapped in the face. “My immunity is part of the deal.”

“Venice won’t come after you, but that doesn’t mean we’re welcoming you back with open arms. If you return only to stay out of the spice trade, you might develop a resentment for the constant reminders of your exclusion, which can fester into a revenge plot. It may not happen, but the perceived threat is just as worse. The community has underestimated you at times, but I recognize that your knowledge and ambition make you as dangerous to Venice as your brother or your mother. Let the Luthor legacy disappear from our sight, and you have my word that this will work out better for you.”

"The last time you wrote to me in good faith, you also tried to bribe Cat to capture me," Lena said, unable to resist getting in one last dig.

"Cat, those were for your eyes only," Max smirked. "We would have honored Cat's deal only if you hadn't surrendered yourself. I was setting up contingencies, just as you are now. So, can we shake on this agreement of ours? You hand over the Luthor trading house at a discount. Lillian is exiled. Lex is imprisoned for life. You go free under an unofficial exile."

Lena collected her composure and offered her hand across the table. "It's a deal."

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you for the final time."

As he left the office, Kara jumped up and down with joy on Lena's behalf. She hugged her friend tight and kissed her on the cheeks. Upon seeing Cat's glare at the breach in professional decorum, Kara cleared her throat and stepped back to make space.

Cat said to Lena, "I was looking forward to having a merchant friend on the up and up, but I wouldn't bet against you no matter what you decide to pursue next. Keep in touch." Lena brushed aside the presented handshake and maneuvered for a hug. Cat scowled but reciprocated the embrace.

As Kara and Lena moved to exit the office, Cat asked for Kiera to hang back for a moment. Lena looked to stay as well, but Kara waved the former trader off. “Congratulations on completing your first field assignment,” Cat said. “You showed the great instincts and strong convictions needed to make it in this business. I’ll be expecting more of the same from you in the future.”

“Thanks, Ms. Grant,” Kara replied. “That means a lot to me coming from you.”

She opened her arms wide for a hug, but Cat shot her down with a withering glare. “Don’t let it go to your head. One hug a day is enough for me.”

“Duly noted, Ms. Grant.” Kara ducked her head and let her arms fall to her sides, which caused her to miss the tug of a smile on the information broker’s lips.

Alex was leaning against a wooden pillar fiddling with her knife as Lena left the meeting. "I assume I don't have to start living my life on the run from three different sets of assassins?"

Lena chuckled, "Everything went as planned. I'm walking away from the trading business as a free woman. Now that everything's all wrapped up, what are you going to do?"

"It's been a few years since I visited home so I might head back that way," Alex said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Right now, I'm going to go look for a bar that's open on Sunday morning for a good, long drink. Kara, I might dip into your dowry fund if you're not using it."

"Go right ahead," her sister replied as she closed the door to Cat’s office. "Drop by my place after you're done blowing off steam, and we can tell each other the long version of what we’ve been up to. I can show you around Ancona for the next few days if you don't mind sleeping above a bakery. You're not such a terrible sister when you stay away from doing things for my sake that I didn't ask for."

"And you can still be a brat any time of the day," Alex called out as she exited the dress shop leaving Kara and Lena standing alone among the bolts of fabric.

Kara caressed Lena's hand. "I don't know if I meant to push you this far. Will you hate me for making you give up everything you worked for, maybe not now, but when you look back? It didn’t look like you expected a banishment from Venice to be on the table.”

"After everything my brother and mother did, the Venice I loved only exists in memories now. I can’t promise I won’t vent my frustration when I hit a bump in the road so apologies in advance, however, I'm sure about my decision. I lucked out that the family business turned into my passion, but I was so comfortable in my groove I never thought about pursuing anything besides salvaging the trading house for the sake of the Luthor legacy. I never examined what I wanted to leave behind for my legacy. I've only ever been a spice trader so having to find my way in the world like everyone else has me so anxious my hands are shaking. I also can't remember the last time I was so excited to not know what comes next. I love you, Kara. If you don't mind having me by your side, can I join you in figuring out what to do in a whole world of possibilities?"

Kara wrapped her arms around Lena’s neck and pulled her close. “I love you too, and I’d want nothing more than to have a person like you in my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Concrit and other feedback would be very much appreciated.  
> To learn more about the spice trade, check out these articles which were invaluable sources for this story:  
> “A Taste of Adventure” by the Economist  
> “The Spice That Built Venice” by the Smithsonian


End file.
